


The Bones in the Dungeon

by Poetgirl925



Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Forensic Mystery, Humor, Murder Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 10:18:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 46,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6562462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poetgirl925/pseuds/Poetgirl925
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon visiting a crime scene Brennan makes a gruesome discovery that eventually ties back to events from her past. As the team investigates, they realize the killer is closer than they think and time is running out for Brennan. Meanwhile, Booth and Brennan reflect on their feelings for one another. Rated T for safety</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Author's Note:**

> Author Note: This is a story that I began writing about six years ago when I was taking some novel writing classes. The time period would be around Season 4, IIRC. It was abandoned for a long time because I lost most of my files during a move overseas that damaged my computer. It was two chapters from completion, so I rewrote the final chapters recently and decided to do some extensive editing on the original story in order to post it here. This was the first fanfiction story I ever wrote. I'll be combining some shorter chapters, and rewriting some bits here and there, in order to improve the flow of the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Booth shifted around in his seat as he listened to Caroline briefing the team on a case that would be going to trial the following week. He glanced over at his partner seated next to him in the conference room. Brennan was concentrating fully on the discussion currently going on between Caroline, Cam and Hodgins as they discussed the evidence they would be responsible for presenting. He always hated this part and to make matters worse, he had missed lunch and was distracted by his growling stomach.

Booth wrote a note on his legal pad and nudged Brennan to get her attention. She glanced down at the question there.

_Bones, got any food in your bag? I missed lunch and I'm starving!_

She sighed and then used her foot to push her satchel around next to Booth's chair. He leaned down and found a bag of dried fruit and nuts in the side pocket. A burger and fries it wasn't, but he'd take what he could get at the moment. He looked at Caroline, saw that she was still busy talking with Cam, and popped a handful of the mix into his mouth. When Brennan nudged his ankle with her foot, he looked down to see her writing a note on her own legal pad.

_It's physically impossible for you to be starving after only missing one meal. Actual starvation is a result of prolonged malnutrition._

_I'm aware of that Bones. It's an expression. What did you have for lunch?_

_I had a salad._

_Salad? That's not lunch, and I know you didn't eat more than a banana this morning._

_What? How do you know that? I didn't see you this morning._

_Because I had to drop Parker off at school, and unless you eat with me or I bring you something, you never eat more than a banana. By the way, where's Angela?_

_She was taking a long lunch today since we didn't need her for this case._

_Long lunch, huh?_

Booth waggled his eyebrows at her. Brennan looked confused for a moment and then amused. 

_Oh, you're implying that she took a long lunch in order to have sexual intercourse._

_Bones, don't write stuff like that - what if someone sees it?_

Booth slid his hand across the table to pull Brennan's legal pad his way, but she slapped her hand down on it, effectively preventing him from taking the legal pad without drawing attention. Suddenly Caroline's voice interrupted their silent tug of war.

"Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan!" She glared at them from the other side of the table. "I realize you two have your own form of foreplay you like to indulge in, but is it too much to ask that you save it for a time that doesn't interfere with my murder trial?"

Booth jerked his hand back as Brennan spoke, looking confused. "We were discussing sexual intercourse, but there was no foreplay."

"Bones!" Booth glared at her as Hodgins snickered and Cam kept her eyes down, trying to control her own laughter.

Caroline held up a hand. "Save it for your sessions with Dr. Sweets - that boy deserves a medal as far as I'm concerned. Now, I expect all of you to be at the top of your game for this trial next week."

Booth's phone rang as the meeting concluded, and an agent reported that a body had been found at a construction site downtown. Brennan began making notes based on his side of the conversation. When he finished the call, he glanced at the clock.

"Okay Bones, I have to go pick up Parker from school, then I'll swing by the Jeffersonian and pick you up..."

"Booth, remains discovered at a construction site are usually at a higher risk of being compromised. I'd prefer to go straight to the construction site and you can meet me there after you take Parker home." 

Booth glanced at the clock again. "Fine, I'll send Charlie to help until I can get there. They mentioned that the area where the remains were found is a little unstable, so I want you to promise me that you'll wait until they've secured the site before you insist on having access."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly capable.."

"Yeah, I know, you're perfectly capable," Booth said as he guided her out of the conference room. "Just be careful, okay?" 

He watched her walk down the hall before setting off for his office, downing the rest of the fruit and nuts on his way. Charlie was going to love this assignment. 

* * *

 

 

Brennan was just lifting the last of her equipment out of the van when Charlie pulled up. As he approached, she said, "Please inform the construction crew that I will need everyone to stay out of my way while I secure the remains."

Charlie, a quiet agent around Booth's age, ran a hand through his dark hair nervously as he said, "Dr. Brennan, I've been in touch with the crew foreman, and they're trying to stabilize the site before you go down there. Booth said..."

Brennan interrupted him. "Take me to the crew foreman and I'll explain the situation to him. Construction sites have so much debris and in situations where human remains are uncovered, they can be severely compromised very quickly. You can carry that bag." She took off toward the building without waiting for Charlie's response.

Charlie grabbed the bag and hurried after her, silently cursing Booth for this assignment. How he managed to work successfully with this woman was beyond him.

Brennan stopped before a group of workers who were standing in front of the building where the remains had been found. "I need to speak to the foreman of this site. I am quite certain my remains are being compromised."

One of the men stepped forward. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan from the Jeffersonian and the remains in that building are mine. Could someone please take me to the foreman?"

The man held out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, I'm..."

Brennan interrupted him. "Unless you're the foreman, which I doubt since I was advised that he is securing the scene, I don't really need to know who you are."

Charlie stifled a groan as he hurried to intervene. He offered his hand and said, "I'm Special Agent Charlie Conners with the FBI. Dr. Brennan works with us to identify human remains, so we really do need to speak with the foreman immediately."

The man nodded, a definite look of dislike on his face as he looked at Brennan. "Tom's still in the building - I'll radio ahead and tell him to meet you in the entrance."

Charlie and Brennan approached the building, walked through the entrance and looked around. Most of the activity seemed to be going on to their left, and one man moved forward to greet them.

"I'm Tom Wellerby, the foreman for this crew. I understand that you need access to the human remains that were found this morning?"

Charlie shook his hand. "I'm Agent Conners - we spoke on the phone earlier. This is Dr. Brennan from the Jeffersonian. How soon can we have access to the site where the remains were found?"

Tom sighed as he answered, "That's the tricky thing. This building is one sneeze away from coming down around our ears if you ask me. It's pre-war and probably should have been torn down twenty years ago. Honestly, those remains might never have been found if one of my men hadn't gone through the floor and landed on top of them. There was no basement on the plans so when the floor gave way it surprised the heck out of us. Right now we're trying to make sure the remaining floor area is safe and a few of my men are down there putting up support beams now."

Brennan turned to Charlie. Her tone betrayed sharp irritation. "If the men are down there stepping all over my remains..."

Charlie nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "How quickly do you think we can get Dr. Brennan down there?"

Tom rubbed his chin and replied, "I reckon we can let her go down in about ten minutes. A couple of my men can go down with her."

"I prefer to go down alone to minimize the damage they've already done." Brennan followed behind Tom as they walked toward the source of the activity.

"Dr. Brennan, I know you don't like to have unnecessary people around a crime scene, but I promised Agent Booth that I wouldn't allow you to put yourself at risk," Charlie protested. "If he gets here and finds you down there crawling around alone in an unstable hole in the ground, I'll be looking for a new career."

"I realize that Booth can be intimidating to lesser males, but I'm not going to have a crowd of people down there getting in my way just because he frightens you. When he gets here, he can come down and I'll explain that I didn't give you a choice."

Tom raised a brow at that, and Charlie grit his teeth, reminding himself that Dr. Brennan wasn't trying to be insulting. He settled on a compromise. 

"Okay, then I'll go down with you until Booth arrives," he offered. 

"Agent Palmers, I really don't have time to argue with you about this. I'm going down alone." Brennan walked ahead rapidly, apparently eager to get started.

Charlie wiped a hand down his face as Tom looked on sympathetically. "It's Conners, not Palmers," he muttered. He glanced at the foreman. "It doesn't matter how many agents she meets or how many times she meets them, the only name she remembers is her partner's."

"Yeah, she's what my daddy would have called a real pistol. Let's see what I can do about getting the good doctor what she needs."

Tom consulted his crew as Brennan began unpacking the items she would need and placing them into a smaller bag. Tom came back holding a hardhat with a light attached, as well as a couple of heavy duty flashlights. "Dr. Brennan, it should be safe enough now for you to go down. My men are coming up, and we can lower you down in a sling. They said to tell you that there appears to be more than one skeleton down there. The room is a pretty good size, but they only walked the area that they absolutely had to in order to put up the support beams. They've also put up a few lights, but the outlying areas of the room are harder to see and they didn't go exploring."

"Thank you." Brennan pulled her Jeffersonian jumpsuit on over her clothes and stepped into her boots. She then twisted her hair back into a ponytail, placed the hardhat on her head, and added the extra flashlights to her bag before she looped it across her chest. Tom's men had come up, and they helped hook her into the harness. She stepped over the edge and they began to lower her slowly down into the basement.

When her feet touched the ground, Brennan unhooked the harness and stepped gingerly across the floor, eyes carefully examining the scene around her. She immediately spotted several sets of human remains to her right and left, and what appeared to be at least one more set a few yards ahead. She began walking the room, the light from her hardhat piercing the darkness that lay beyond the lamps attached to the support beams. She pulled out one of the flashlights as she continued to walk further into the darkest areas, looking for evidence of more remains.

Charlie stood over the hole with Tom and his men. He could no longer see Dr. Brennan, which made him nervous. He turned to the foreman and asked, "You're sure this is all stable?"

Tom nodded. "It's safe enough, don't worry. As long as we keep the men from walking over that section of floor, nothing else should collapse. We've already notified the demolitions team to remove all the explosives that we were planning to use to detonate the building."

Charlie nodded as his blackberry buzzed with information on the ownership history of the building. He excused himself to make some calls, walking toward the entrance. As he neared the door, he heard shouting from outside the building, followed by more shouts from within. He turned around to see Tom running toward him. "Agent Conners, the demolitions expert said one of those bombs is still live and set to go off. We need to pull Dr. Brennan out of there until we make sure they have it defused."

As they ran back in, there was an explosion from the far wall. Charlie watched in horror as part of the wall collapsed, followed by the floor above the area where Dr. Brennan was working. 

* * *

 

Booth turned into Rebecca's driveway, listening to Parker chatter about his upcoming science fair. Max and Brennan had helped Parker with his science experiment, and he was sure he was going to win first prize.

"Dad, do you think Bones can go to the park with us this Saturday?" Parker asked as he was getting out of the SUV. Booth walked around to help his son with his school bag.

"I'm sure she'd like that if she has the time. But you know she's very busy, so if she can't make it this time we'll try to plan something else, alright?" Booth led Parker up the driveway to the front door where Rebecca was waiting.

"But she's definitely coming to my science fair on Friday, right? She said she would and Bones never lies."

"No, she never lies, and she's definitely coming. In fact, she's going to ride with me and we're all going to the diner afterward." Booth ruffled Parker's hair as he handed the school bag over to Rebecca.

"It was really nice of Dr. Brennan to help with his science project," Rebecca commented. "I'm looking forward to seeing her on Friday so I can have a chance to thank her."

At that moment Booth's phone rang - he looked down and saw the call was from Charlie. "Just a second," he said to Rebecca. "I sent Charlie ahead to a crime scene with Bones, and since he's calling I'm guessing he's having a hard time with her. She intimidates the other agents," he added with a grin. He hit the talk button and said, "Hey Charlie, I'll be there in about half an hour.." he broke off suddenly as the other agent began talking.

Rebecca watched with concern as a panicked expression crossed Booth's features. "What the hell do you mean she's trapped? Is she hurt?" Booth spit the questions between clenched teeth, and she had a horrible feeling it was Dr. Brennan that the agent was calling about. She looked down at Parker, who was also aware something was terribly wrong.

"Mom, is he talking about Bones?" Parker's lower lip trembled as he asked the question.

She wasn't sure what to say and looked back at Booth. He listened for another minute and then said, "I'm on my way. You make sure EMS is on standby, and that the crew is prepared to dig her out by hand if that's what it takes. I'll deal with you later." He ended the call abruptly.

"Dad, it's Bones isn't it? Is she okay?" Parker looked close to tears as he saw the expression on his dad's face. He knew only something really bad could make his dad look scared.

Booth pulled Parker to him. "There's been an accident, but I'm sure she's going to be fine so I don't want you to worry about it, okay Bub?" He looked up at Rebecca and added, "I'm really sorry about this, but I have to go."

"No, I understand. Just call us later and let us know what happened." Rebecca watched as Booth ran back to his Suburban and pulled out of the driveway, turning his siren on as he tore down the street. She looked back down at Parker, who still seemed near tears. "Parker, don't be upset. You know that your dad will make sure Dr. Brennan's safe. He always makes sure the people in his life are safe." She hugged him.

"I hope so Mom, 'cuz Bones is the one who always makes sure Dad is alright. He needs her, you know."

Rebecca hadn't realized her son was so astute when it came to Booth's partnership with Dr. Brennan. "I know." 

* * *

 

 

Booth tore into the lot adjacent to the condemned building. He had called Brennan's cell phone repeatedly during his drive, only to be answered by her voicemail each time. He jumped out of the SUV and ran toward the building, eyes scanning the area for Charlie. He finally spotted him to one side, talking to several men who appeared to be part of the construction crew.

"Charlie!" Booth ran toward the men. "Have they found her yet?"

Charlie swallowed hard at the expression on Booth's face. He'd been shot once, and still his fight-or-flight response had never been weighted so heavily toward flight as it was right now. "We still don't know which part of the basement she was in when the bomb went off. We're pretty sure she was further back than the collapse because the men standing around the hole couldn't see her at that point. They're digging as fast as they can, but they have to be careful not to cause any more of the floor to collapse."

Booth wiped a hand over his face and then stepped forward until he stood threateningly over the other agent. "She was your responsibility Charlie, and if anything happens to her down there, you'll be pushing paperclips in Alaska before the year is out." He turned toward the crew. "Where's the crew foreman?"

Tom stepped toward Booth, holding out his hand. "That would be me, Agent Booth. I'm real sorry about this. The area was stable until the bomb went off. If I'd had any idea the demolitions team hadn't removed all the charges, I would never have allowed her down there."

Booth nodded curtly, then asked, "Can we cut a hole near the far wall and try to get someone down there to look for her?"

"That's what we're working on now, and we're working as fast as we can. We just have to be careful not to bring anything else down on her."

Booth turned away and once again hit speed dial one, praying that she was alive down there. But this time was no different - the phone rang and rang, a lonely sound that had fear rising in his throat, threatening to choke him. 


	2. The Kill Room

Brennan opened her eyes and groaned at the pain in her head and neck. She sat up and looked around, feeling sore and completely disoriented as she tried to remember what happened. She had gone down into the basement to secure the remains. Brennan remembered walking the perimeter, searching for more bones and then... nothing. She put a hand up to her head - her hand came away sticky, so she knew she must be bleeding. She carefully moved her arms and legs. Other than a sore knee and the head injury, she seemed to be fine.

It was pitch black in the basement. Remembering the bag she carried, she opened it and searched until she found the extra heavy duty light Tom had given her. She clicked it on, wincing from the sudden brightness. Brennan swept the light around the room, trying to figure out where she was. She saw a lot of fallen debris in the previously cleared space, so she assumed either the wall or the floor had collapsed. Judging by the amount of debris, she concluded it might have been both. She could hear the sound of activity from above and knew that the construction crew must be working to free her.

She thought of Booth, wondering if he had arrived yet. She pulled her phone from a side pocket. When she glanced at the display and saw more than twenty missed calls, she knew without looking they must be from Booth. She held the phone up, but the signal was weak. She stood up, crying out as her knee buckled. She tried again, this time managing to stand. She limped toward the wall, holding the light on her cell phone to see where she could get the best signal. She leaned against the wall, taking some weight off her knee as she hit the speed dial one. 

Booth paced back and forth, his helplessness making him feel angry as he watched the crew working. When his phone suddenly buzzed, a wave of relief hit him hard as he saw Brennan's name on the screen. "Bones, thank God! Are you alright down there?"

"I think I'm fine. My head is bleeding and there's some swelling around my knee, but I don't think I have any fractures." Her voice, weak though it was, reassured him and he felt some of the blind panic of the last hour fading. "Do you know which area of the basement you're in?"

Brennan looked around. "Based on the area of collapse, I think I must be near the entrance. But that seems wrong somehow." She turned the flashlight against the wall, sweeping the light in a wide arc. "This wall is closer than I would expect, like the basement is smaller than the actual building. Wait..." she said, moving along the wall that ran parallel to the side of the building. "Booth, there's a door here. It may be a way out."

Booth waved to the foreman as he answered her. "Can you open it?"

"I don't know. I'm going to put the phone down and get my bluetooth out." She dug into the side pocket until she located her ear piece. Putting it in and placing the phone back in the bag, she asked, "Can you still hear me?"

"Yeah, I can hear you." Booth covered the phone and spoke to Tom. "Tell your men that she's somewhere between the front wall and the area of collapse. I don't care what you have to do; I want her out of there within the hour." Tom nodded and headed back to his crew to relay this new information.

Brennan braced herself and pulled the door handle, but nothing happened. "It's stuck." She pulled again, and this time the door opened a few inches, throwing her off balance. She groaned as her knee was twisted in the process. She heard Booth's sharp intake of breath as he asked, "Bones, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." She took a deep breath, bracing herself as she pulled on the door one more time. She took the flashlight out of her bag and aimed it through the doorway.

Brennan walked into a large room that was dimly lit by a lamp in the corner. Seeing a wall switch near the door, she turned the overhead lights on. The glaring brightness made her blink rapidly as she struggled to focus her eyes. The scene before her was chilling - several tables were set up, autopsy style. The one nearest the door held a set of partially decomposed remains. The far wall hosted an array of tools and weapons, and she had no doubt that this chamber of horrors had been witness to the torture and murder of the people whose remains were found by the construction crew. 

"Booth, this room is a torture chamber," Brennan said as she walked around, taking everything in. "There is a partially decomposed female on a table. Cam will have to verify, but I think she's been dead less than a week."

"What do you mean a torture chamber?" Booth asked sharply. 

"I mean there is an array of instruments in this room that could be used to torture and kill someone." Brennan's eyes widened as she recognized a few of the weapons on the wall. "Some of them are medieval in origin. I also see various mechanical tools, power tools... this is a killing room."

Booth felt his unease grow as he listened to her description. This put a different spin on things since it meant they were dealing with a serial killer who was still active. He walked quickly over to the foreman. "Where are we on getting down there?"

"I'd say maybe five or ten minutes. We'll get her out of there, trust me," Tom replied.

Booth nodded and turned his attention back to the phone. "What else do you see down there?"

Brennan glanced around, her eyes landing on a pile of newspapers. "I see a lot of newspapers, including today's paper." Her stomach sank as she acknowledged what this could mean. Reaching into her bag for the gun she kept on the bottom, she continued, "Booth, it's possible I'm not alone down here."

Booth resumed pacing as he asked, "Do you see any other doors, anything that could be another exit or hiding place?" He felt helpless, up here waiting while his partner was trapped and possibly in danger.

"Nothing immediately visible." Brennan continued to walk around the room, checking all the corners and examining the walls. "But, I have my gun so I can shoot if necessary."

Booth stopped pacing. "What the hell do you mean, you have a gun? Why are you walking around with a gun in your equipment bag? You told me you stopped doing that."

"I decided to carry it today. I'm not willing to trust my personal safety to a nervous nettle like Agent Palmers. He seems like the type who might be afraid to shoot someone." Convinced that she was alone in the room, Brennan walked back over to the remains on the table.

"It's nervous Nellie, Bones... and Agent Conners is only nervous around you because you intimidate him. You intimidate most of the other agents too so he's not alone there." Booth ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. In hindsight he really should have known better than to send anyone else with Bones. While he found her general lack of people skills rather endearing most of the time, he knew that wasn't the case for any of the other agents.

Just then, Tom motioned him forward. "Agent Booth, we've cut a hole over here and we're ready to send the medic down to get her."

Booth nodded. "Bones, they're ready. A medic is coming down to help, and we're going to pull you up on a harness." He wanted to be the one to go down, but he knew it made more sense to send the medic, who could evaluate her injuries before helping her into the harness. 

Brennan moved back towards the door, keeping her gun in one hand and the flashlight in the other. As she limped forward, she could see the light from the hole they had created in the ceiling. "I'm ready, and I can see the medic coming down in a harness now." She placed her gun and flashlight back into her bag. 

The medic checked her over before helping her into the harness. Brennan winced as she tried to sit, feeling her knee buckle beneath her. The medic grabbed her arm to help, and within a couple of minutes she was being lifted to freedom.

Booth snapped his phone shut as he watched the men pull Brennan out of the basement. When she emerged from the hole he reached for her, easing her down to the floor and gently unhooking her from the harness. She was immediately transferred to a stretcher and carried out of the building. Booth hovered anxiously as the medics asked questions and evaluated her condition. He could see a large knot forming beneath a nasty looking cut on her forehead, and dried blood covered her left cheek and matted in her hair. He reached for her hand and squeezed it, and she looked up at him with those blue eyes that made him forget to breathe sometimes.

One medic cleaned the wound on her head, announcing it would probably need stitches. Another used scissors to split the pants leg of her jumpsuit, checking the injury to her knee. "We should probably get her to the hospital now," one of them said as they finished wrapping her knee. "Do you want to ride with us, sir?"

Booth looked at Brennan as he shook his head. "I'll follow behind you so I can take you home when you're done, okay?" Even though he knew this was logical, he still didn't want to let go of her.

Brennan nodded. "I'm fine Booth. I'll see you at the hospital." She started to let go of his hand, but Booth stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a careful hug. Her bravado crumbled a bit, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Charlie watched them together, feeling like a voyeur intruding on a private moment. He could see the depth of feeling between Booth and Dr. Brennan. They had long been a source of speculation to the other agents at the FBI, as everyone wondered just how involved the two were with each other. _Maybe it's time I upped the ante on the office pool_ , he thought to himself. He had a feeling he had just witnessed a turning point for the partners.

* * *

 

Booth strode through the doors of the emergency room and headed straight for the information desk. "A woman was brought in maybe thirty minutes ago, Temperance Brennan. Can you tell me where she is?"

The woman behind the desk typed the name into the computer and said, "It looks like they've taken her back for x-rays. When they're done, they'll put her in an exam room. What's your name sir?"

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI. I'm also her emergency contact, so I'd like to see her as soon as she's in a room."

The woman nodded, and Booth sighed impatiently as he walked over to one of the chairs in the waiting room. He had stayed behind at the crime scene long enough to ensure that everyone knew what they should be doing. He left Agent Patterson in charge, though Charlie was still there as well. Thinking of Charlie sent a fresh wave of anger through him.

"Agent Booth."

Booth looked up and saw Sweets walking toward him. "What are you doing here Sweets?"

"Daisy's on rotation at the lab this week. She called me when she heard what happened." Sweets sat down in the chair next to him. "How is she?"

"The medics who checked her at the scene seemed to think she was fine. She probably needs stitches for the cut on her head, and she probably has a concussion..." Booth trailed off, wiping his hands over his face. "Damn Charlie, this never would have happened if I'd been there."

"Agent Booth, certain circumstances are beyond our control at times. This could easily have happened even if you had been there with Dr. Brennan. Did Agent Conners have any reason at all to think she would be in danger."

Booth didn't answer, so Sweets continued, "She would have gone down into that basement even if you had been there. The only difference is that she was able to railroad Agent Conners into letting her go down alone, and if you had been there, you likely would have gone down with her. Then you would both be injured."

"Better that than her being alone," Booth said angrily.

"That's what's actually bothering you isn't it?" Sweets leaned forward. "The fact that she was down there alone while your hands were tied, waiting to hear if she was hurt, or dead."

Booth wanted to end the conversation - instead he heard himself saying, "It felt like the last time... you know, when the Gravedigger took her. I kept thinking back then that if I had been with her that evening instead of..." he hesitated, then continued, "I thought maybe I could have stopped it. Then when they pulled her out of that hole today, I was right back in that quarry." 

Sweets had read the Gravedigger case notes and knew that that event must have been extremely difficult for both Booth and Brennan. It was interesting that despite Booth's own personal experience with being abducted by the Gravedigger, it always came back to Brennan in his mind.

"I think you realize that blaming yourself isn't logical. Maybe you need to ask yourself where this guilt is really coming from."

"I'm not really in the mood for cryptic, Sweets ."

Sweets stood up and clapped Booth on the shoulder. "If you think about it, I'm sure it will come to you. Tell Dr. Brennan that I stopped by and I hope she feels better."

Booth watched Sweets leave, then stood up as his name was called. "Agent Booth, Ms. Brennan is with the doctor now if you want to go back." She buzzed him through and pointed him down the hall to exam room 3. He pushed open the door, feeling his mood lighten as he saw Brennan examining her own x-rays. Of course she wouldn't trust the doctors, and he felt a smile tugging at his lips. 

"So, anything broken?" he asked as he approached the exam table. Brennan looked up at him.

"No, it appears to be a sprain. I suspect the swelling will be down within a couple of days." She handed the x-rays back to the doctor, who looked at Booth curiously.

"I'm Dr. Ames, head of the emergency department. Dr. Brennan appears to be doing well despite her ordeal. We have a plastic surgeon coming to close the wound on her head." He smiled warmly at Brennan. "You have such a pretty face, it would be a shame to have a scar there."

Booth couldn't believe the doctor was hitting on her. He moved closer, placing his hand on Brennan's back. "Well if you're done, don't let us keep you from your other patients. We'll be fine until the other doctor arrives."

Dr. Ames regarded the agent cautiously. "Uh, yes, well... I'll just have the nurse bring in some meds, as well as some hot and cold packs for your knee, Dr. Brennan. Dr. Potter should be here in a few minutes."

Booth watched as Dr. Ames left. "Unbelievable," he muttered.

"What's unbelievable?" Brennan asked.

"Nothing, Bones." He smiled at her. "You look better with all the blood off your face."

"Yes, head wounds bleed quite a lot. The wound isn't as bad as I thought it might be." She touched her head gingerly and then shifted on the exam table. The nurse came in with the meds, which Brennan swallowed without complaint. She also left the hot and cold packs to use on her knee.

Booth saw her wince as she applied one of the packs, and walked over to stand beside her. He felt guilt surge through him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Brennan looked up, surprised. "Booth, you had to pick up Parker from school. This isn't your fault. Even if you had been there, I still would have gone down alone..."

Booth cut her off. "No, you wouldn't have. If I had been there I would have gone down with you. Charlie should never have allowed you to go down by yourself."

"In that case, we'd both be sitting here injured. And you really shouldn't blame the other agents. I was quite adamant about doing the initial scene inspection alone in order to preserve the integrity of the remains as much as possible." It hadn't occurred to her that Booth might blame himself. Even though it wasn't logical, she knew he tended to take full responsibility for her personal safety, regardless of the circumstances.

They were interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Potter and another nurse. Booth watched as the doctor numbed the area on her head, then carefully applied several stitches. When he was finished, he said, "I think that should do it. Any scarring should be minimal and as close to the hairline as it is, I doubt anyone would notice."

Booth stepped out of the room so the nurse could help Brennan with her clothes. She emerged in a wheelchair, grumbling about the necessity of using it. Booth took her prescriptions to the pharmacy while she dealt with the paperwork for her visit. He then pulled the Suburban around and helped her into the passenger seat.

They had been driving for several minutes when Brennan opened her eyes and looked around. "Where are we going?"

"I'm stopping by my place first to grab a few things, then the grocery store to stock up on some manly food, then back to your place."

"Booth you don't have to stay with me. I'll be fine." Brennan looked out the window as she said this. She would never admit it, but part of her wanted him to stay with her.

Booth glanced over at her. "I know I don't have to Bones, that's not the point. I'll feel better, sleep better, if I know that you're okay tonight. And there are other reasons."

"What other reasons?" she asked, feeling better knowing he wouldn't allow her to talk him out of it.

"First, you have a concussion so you shouldn't be alone," he said.

"That's really a common misconception about minor head injuries..." she began, but Booth interrupted her.

"Second, I've worked with you long enough to know that you just might get it in your head to get up and go back to the crime scene or the lab to work." He held up his hand as she opened her mouth. "Don't deny it Bones, I know better. And tonight you need to stay off that leg and get some rest. It might even be fun... you've got a TV and a DVD player now, so we can even watch a couple of movies if you're not tired." He smiled at her. "Come on, Bones, you know that sounds like fun." 

Brennan relented - she knew he was turning on the charm deliberately but found she wasn't able to say no to him. "Fine. But if we're staying in, I want Thai food." She leaned back and closed her eyes again, feeling content in a way she hadn't felt with anyone except Booth in a long time.

 


	3. Now Is Where We Start

 

Brennan sat on the couch watching TV while Booth was in the kitchen preparing dinner. He glanced over at her, noticing that she seemed fully absorbed in whatever she was watching. Probably some science show I'll need a dictionary to watch with her, he thought with a grin. He turned his attention back to the wok. He was mixing tofu and vegetables for Brennan, and cooking some chicken in a separate pan to add to his plate. He checked the rice and then went to the refrigerator to see if she had soy sauce. He poked through the various bottles, his attention caught by one in particular. He pulled it out and yelled, "Hey Bones, why do you have BBQ sauce? You don't eat meat."

 She looked up to see him holding the bottle of Bishop's 3 'N' 1 Stuff. "I use it on stir-fry sometimes. It's quite spicy." 

Booth looked at the label again. "Hawghouse Jingles, 'Shake Me Not & I'll Be Cool, Shake Me A Little & I'll Be Gentle, Shake Me A Lot & I'll Get Hot.' Where did you get this?" He started shaking the bottle.

 "Booth be careful with that. The red pepper settles on the bottom so the more you shake it, the hotter it gets." Brennan watched as he squirted a bit into the pan and said, "I got it when I was in Alabama attending a guest lecture event about the Moundville civilization. It's made and packaged locally, so I order it online. You would have enjoyed that trip. They have excellent pork barbecue."

 Booth tried a bite of the stir-fry and said, "Hey, this stuff's pretty good. Maybe I'll get you to order me some next time." He carried their plates to the living room and sat down on the couch next to Brennan. "So, what are we watching?"

 "It's an allegorical representation of common adolescent issues stemming from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. They use divergent gender roles to study the aesthetics of culture. It's quite fascinating really, though I don't understand all of the language they use."

 Booth stared incredulously at the screen. "Bones, it's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. How do you even know about this show?"

 "It was on all day when Angela was sick a couple of months ago. I took her some soup and she explained the idea of the show to me while we were watching it."

 "You watched this all day."

 She nodded as she took a bite of her stir fry. "They call it a marathon, which I find amusing because the word dates back to the Greek legend of the Battle of Marathon, and a messenger named Pheidippides, who ran the entire distance to Athens without stopping. Hours of television viewing is nothing like a marathon."

 "Yeah, I know what it means." Booth watched as the blonde vampire slayer used a military grade weapon to take out a large, blue demon. "I cannot believe you, of all people, are watching this. I mean come on, you thought Transformers was ridiculous, but you'll watch this?"

 "Booth, Transformers made no sense to me. Robots are not biological or sentient in nature, so who created them? And the robots were always so much bigger than the cars from which they transformed. A small car should not transform into a robot larger than a house. It's not rational."

 "But this is - you've got to be kidding me."

 "Well, the way I understand it, they've created a Hellmouth that represents all the evil in the world, and it can be used to account for any discrepancies. You know, the vampire Angel reminds me of you." She pointed at a dark, brooding man on the screen.

 "What? No, I'm nothing like that guy. He has stupid hair, for one thing... and the name is girly."

 "You're both concerned with saving your soul and a quest for redemption. You're actually very much alike. I remember this episode. Apparently he's evil because he had sex with Buffy, so it raises the issue of pre-marital sex, which should appeal to your Catholic guilt complex."

 "Let's just leave the Catholic church out of this." He winced as Buffy kicked Angel right between the legs. "Ouch... she kind of reminds me of you, now that I think about it."

 When the show ended, Booth grabbed the remote and flipped channels as they argued about what to watch next. They finally agreed on Mythbusters. Booth heard his phone ring as he carried their plates to the kitchen - digging it out of his pocket, he saw the name Rachel on the screen. He hesitated, then clicked ignore.

 "Is it work?" Brennan asked as he settled back on the couch with her.

 "It's not important, I'll call them back later," he replied as he turned his attention back to the TV.

 

* * *

 

Booth and Brennan spent the rest of the evening watching TV. They watched Mythbusters and debated the science behind the various experiments. It was a constant surprise to Booth that despite such different personalities, he and Brennan could relate to each other so well on so many different levels. Brennan flipped channels and wanted to watch The History of Sex on the History channel, but Booth claimed the remote and changed it to a hockey game. There was no way he could handle sitting next to her while she discussed the anthropological significance of the Kama Sutra.

 Around eight that evening he called Rebecca. He'd sent a message earlier so they wouldn't worry, but he knew Parker would feel better if he called.

 "I'm glad you called. He's really been worried about Dr. Brennan," Rebecca said. "How is she doing?"

 "She had to have some stitches and it looks like she sprained her knee, but otherwise she's good." Booth heard Parker asking for the phone.

 "Dad, Bones is okay right?"

 "She's fine, Bub. Accidents happen sometimes, but this one wasn't too bad, so you don't need to worry about it anymore.

 "Can I talk to her?" Parker pleaded.

 "Sure, hang on." He handed the phone over to Brennan, who smiled.

 "Hi Parker. Your dad's right, I'm perfectly fine." She listened for a minute, then said, "Of course I'll still be there on Friday. I wouldn't miss seeing you win the science fair. I'll see you then." She handed the phone back to Booth, listening as he told Parker goodnight.

 Booth hung up the phone and thought about his missed call earlier. "Hey Bones, I'm going to run down and get some case files out of the car. I'll be back in a minute."

 She nodded. She had her laptop out and was busy going through her emails. He walked outside and scrolled through his missed calls. He and Rachel had been seeing each other for about six weeks. While it wasn't serious, he knew he couldn't classify it as strictly casual anymore either. Ridiculous as it was, he felt a little guilty about calling Rachel while he was with Brennan.

 She answered on the second ring. "Seeley, I was wondering what happened to you. I thought we were going to have dinner tonight."

 "Yeah, I'm sorry. I caught a new case this afternoon and there was an accident at the crime scene. I had to take my partner to the emergency room," he explained.

 "You mean Dr. Brennan? What happened?" she asked.

 "She got caught in a building collapse while she was recovering remains at the scene." Booth ran a hand over his hair. "It took us over an hour to get her out of there."

 "How is she?"

 "Yeah, she's fine. Tonight's a bad night, but I promise I'll make it up to you. Maybe tomorrow night?"

 "Sure, I understand and tomorrow is fine. You know, I'd really like to meet Dr. Brennan some time. I love her books," Rachel said.

 "Yeah, maybe some time," Booth replied. After he hung up, he called to check in with the FBI team still at the scene. They were making progress on securing the area, and hoped they'd be able to start gathering evidence by tomorrow. Booth reminded them not to move the bones around anymore than was necessary, thought they really didn't need to be reminded. Most of them had been on the receiving end of enough of Brennan's tirades to make them extremely wary when it came to collecting evidence. They knew the skeletal remains were all hers.

 Booth grabbed a few files from the Suburban and headed back up to Brennan's apartment. He walked in and saw that she had fallen asleep curled into the corner of the couch. He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sat down next to her, carefully lifting her legs into his lap so she could keep her knee elevated on the pillow. He picked up the remote to turn the volume down a bit as he watched the game.

 After an hour, he gave up concentrating on the game and leaned his head back, his mind racing through the events of the day. He turned his head to look at Brennan as she slept. God she's beautiful, he thought. He reached out to push a few strands of hair from her brow. In sleep, she looked so much more fragile than she did when awake. Her passion for life and independent nature made her a force to be reckoned with during her waking hours, but at rest he felt he could see a little of the girl who had been abandoned all those years ago - the one who still worried about abandonment from those around her. He thought about how much their relationship had changed over the years. They had gone from adversaries, to wary and reluctant partners, to friends; now their relationship was something he wasn't sure he could simply define any longer. They were friends of course, but it was so much more than that. He could talk to her about things he didn't talk about with other people, and she knew things about him that he had never discussed with any other woman.

 He thought about Rachel. He liked her a lot, more than any woman he had dated since Tessa. She was smart, warm, abd funny. As the owner of her own interior design business, she was independent and didn't make unreasonable demands on his time. She understood the unpredictability that came with his job, and she didn't make a fuss about it. He saw her a few times a week and always enjoyed his time with her. Why, then, did his relationship with her seem so wrong today?

 He glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearly eleven. He sighed, then reached over to touch Brennan's shoulder. "Hey Bones, wake up. You'll probably sleep better if you go to bed." She awakened slowly, and he could see that she was groggy from the medication she had taken earlier. He helped her sit up, keeping his arm around her as he allowed her to get her bearings.

 Brennan felt tired and sore, and as she looked at Booth, she was suddenly overwhelmed. As afraid as she was to trust people, to let them in, she was suddenly absurdly grateful that she could count on him to be there for her. She reached over and grasped his hand. "Thank you for being here. I know that I don't always tell you how much..." her voice trailed off. "Anyway, thanks for not letting me talk you out of helping me tonight." She reached up to kiss his cheek - at that moment his head moved and their lips connected. It was tentative at first, surprising to both of them. After a moment, Brennan wrapped her arms around him and the kiss turned into something more than affection between friends. She pulled away suddenly, feeling heat flood her face. She stood up quickly and said, "Good night, Booth." She limped tonher bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

 Booth watched her go, his body still in shock as he wondered what just happened. More importantly, he wondered if she sensed that things were changing between them, whether they wanted them to change or not.

 

* * *

 

 Brennan crept silently out of her bedroom around five the following morning. There was no sign of Booth in the living room, so she knew he must have slept in the spare bedroom. She called a cab and then wrote a quick note letting him know that she had gone into the lab early. Thankfully the swelling in her knee seemed to have decreased, so she was getting around better than the night before. She poured juice into a travel container and grabbed a banana from the kitchen. She put them in her bag and then went downstairs to wait for her ride.

 When she arrived at the Jeffersonian she went straight to her office. Brennan sat behind her desk, leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. For the first time that morning, she allowed herself to think about the kiss. Of course it could be blamed on any number of things, rationally speaking. She was medicated and sleepy, and after the ordeal of that afternoon, her ability to compartmentalize her feelings was compromised. But in the moment that their lips met, he became something more than her partner and friend. The sexual attraction was not the surprise - she had been aware of that underlying tension between them for years. It wasn't even their first kiss. What had shocked her was the extreme emotional pull she felt towards him in that moment. While she sensed he also felt something, she knew he hadn't fully responded to her. And what scared her even more was the look of confusion in his eyes before she walked away.

 She felt restless, so she decided to do some work in bone storage while she waited for evidence to start coming in from the crime scene. The lab was quiet as she walked slowly to the storage room. She pulled down a few boxes of bones and got to work, quickly losing track of time. Several hours later, she looked up from the bones of a World War I soldier and realized it was almost lunchtime. She made a few notes on the chart and then went to Cam's office to see if she knew when the evidence would start to arrive.

 Cam looked up, surprised, when she knocked. "Dr. Brennan, I didn't know you were here. How are you feeling?"

 "I'm fine. I've been in bone storage working while I wait on evidence from the crime scene. Have you heard anything?"

 Cam nodded. "I know that they were going to allow the crime scene techs to begin evidence recovery around mid-morning. I already sent Wendell and Daisy out there." She held up her hand as Brennan opened her mouth to protest. "Dr. Brennan, you have a concussion and you're limping. I can't allow you to go back into the basement and risk further injury. Wendell and Daisy are both capable, and you can examine the remains when they arrive."

 Brennan let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I'll be in my office." She limped down the hallway, pausing when she heard Angela call out to her. "Sweetie, Booth is here looking for you. How are you feeling?"

 Brennan felt dread clutch at her stomach. Logically she had known that she would have to see him at some point today, but she wasn't ready to face him. "I'm fine Angela. I'm on my way to my office now," she said.

 Angela stared at her friend curiously. She had sensed something off with Booth but figured it was just the case coupled with the fact that Brennan had been injured. Now, seeing how reluctant Brennan was to see Booth, she wondered if there was more to it than that. "Are you okay, Bren?"

 "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

 "Hmm." Angela watched Brennan as she limped away. They definitely needed to have a talk after Booth left.

 Brennan walked into her office and saw Booth sitting on her couch, holding a takeout bag. He looked up as she approached her desk. "Hey Bones. How are you feeling?"

 "I'm fine Booth. There was no reason to drive over here to check on me." She avoided looking at him as she sat down and turned on her computer. She heard him stand up and approach her desk. "How long do you think I'll be waiting for the evidence to arrive?"

 "The techs were just getting started when I left about thirty minutes ago." He held up the bag from the diner. "I figured you hadn't eaten yet, so I brought you lunch."

 "Thanks. Wendell and Daisy were at the scene?" She took the salad from him and opened it. Booth watched her carefully. To any casual observer, Brennan seemed fine, but he knew her well enough to know that she was retreating behind her walls.

 "Yeah. Daisy was doing her best impression of you, so the techs were all properly intimidated. I told them to send the evidence as it's recovered, which means you should have something to look at by mid-afternoon. I'll stop by before I head home and see if you have anything."

Brennan looked at him for the first time, surprised. "You're not working tonight? Why?"

 Booth shook his head and took a deep breath. "I had plans that I cancelled last night, and I really don't need to cancel again if I can avoid it. But I'll be by again after dinner."

 Brennan was confused. Booth seemed very uncomfortable, and she suddenly realized what his plans might be. "You have a date?" Her chest hurt suddenly, and she turned her attention back to her computer. "I wasn't aware that you have a new girlfriend. You really don't have to be secretive about it."

 "I wasn't being secretive, Bones. I just haven't been seeing her very long, so it's not serious." He could see her retreating further and further with every word and cursed silently. "Look, I wanted to talk to you about last night..."

 Brennan interrupted him. "I have a lot of work to do, Booth. I'll call you later when I have something."

 Booth stared at her as the silence stretched between them. As much as he wanted her to open up to him about last night, he knew it wasn't going to happen right now. "Fine. I'll stop by later."

 Brennan waited until she was sure he was gone before resting her head on her hands. She felt tired and hurt and alone, and that it was Booth who was making her feel that way only made it worse. He was the one she talked to when she was upset, but that was impossible today.

 She looked up as Angela walked into her office, closing the door behind her. "Okay, sweetie, time to talk. Booth just left here looking like a kid whose favorite puppy died, and you don't look much better. What's going on?"

 "I don't know what you're talking about, Ange." Brennan poked at her salad with her fork, though the idea of eating made her feel sick.

 "No, don't even try it. Security said you were in here before six this morning. Didn't Booth stay with you last night?" Angela watched Brennan closely, and noticed that she seemed suddenly uncomfortable. "What, did you two suddenly give in to the unresolved sexual tension that we've all been making bets on for years?" Angela was joking, but when she saw the expression on Brennan's face, she knew she had hit a nerve. "Oh my... did you two sleep together?"

 "What? No, of course not Angela. Don't be ridiculous," Brennan replied, her face flushing.

 "Well, obviously something happened. You might as well tell me - otherwise my imagination will take over and fill in the blanks, or I'll just have to talk to Booth."

 Brennan sighed, then looked at her friend. "I kissed him, but it was an accident. He turned his head, and I was tired, and the medication... it was not a big deal."

 Angela suppressed her grin. This day was suddenly very interesting. "So, was it hot? I mean, it's Booth, so it must have been hot. I'm surprised the DCFD didn't have to respond," she added, fanning herself.

 "Angela, stop."

 "What, I can't live vicariously? This celibacy thing is no picnic, you know. I want details, and it's your responsibility as my best friend to provide them."

 "Angela, it was a mistake and it won't happen again."

 "Oh, sweetie, don't be naive. You can't stop a volcano once the top has been blown off."

 "He has a girlfriend, Angela." Brennan was proud of herself. Her voice sounded perfectly calm when she said it.

 "Wait, he what?" Angela asked, confused. "Since when does Booth have a girlfriend?"

 "I don't know the details, but he told me about her today. She's the reason he's not working tonight." Brennan continued to concentrate on her computer screen, though she wasn't even sure what she was looking at anymore.

 Angela suddenly felt angry. "So he kissed you last night, and today he comes by to tell you he can't work tonight because he has a date with his girlfriend?"

 "No, I kissed him, and I told you it was an accident. Can we please stop talking about this?" Brennan stood up and limped over to her couch. "I really didn't sleep well, so I think I'm going to rest for a little while. I'll be busy this afternoon examining the remains as they arrive."

 Angela knew she probably wasn't going to get anything else out of Brennan at the moment, so she stood up. "Sure, sweetie. We'll talk later." She left Brennan's office and went to grab her purse. There was a certain FBI agent long overdue for one of her chats.

 

* * *

 

When Angela arrived at the Hoover, Booth's office was empty. After waiting for almost half an hour, she decided there was someone else she'd rather talk to.

Sweets looked up when she walked into his office. "Angela, this is a surprise. Can I help you with something?"

 Angela shut the door behind her and sat down in one of the chairs facing him. "We need to talk."

 Sweets sighed. "You know, I do have an assistant. She takes appointments."

 Angela ignored him. "Have you seen Booth?"

 "I think he's in a meeting with Cullen and Caroline. Why, is something wrong?"

 "Did you know that Booth has a girlfriend? I mean, I know he's very private, but I can't believe we didn't know that."

 A look of realization crossed Sweets' face and he cleared his throat. "Actually, I did know that. I ran into them at dinner one night. She seems like a very nice...Oww!" He rubbed the arm Angela had just punched. "Was that really necessary?"

 "Yes. And you had it coming anyway since you're responsible for my current situation of sexual frustration. Booth has a girlfriend, and you've met her? How could you keep that to yourself?"

 "Angela, it wasn't my place to tell anyone else. Agent Booth is entitled to a personal life." He watched as Angela crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Based on your behavior I'm going to assume that Dr. Brennan also knows now, correct? And she's upset?"

 "Since you're so well informed, did you know that Booth and Brennan kissed last night?"

 Sweets leaned forward. "What, again? Wow, that complicates things."

 Angela's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean again? They've kissed before?" When Sweets hesitated, she glared at him. "Spill it, baby shrink."

 "It was the Christmas when Dr. Brennan's family was still in jail, and there was mistletoe." Sweets moved out of Angela's reach and held his hands up. "That's all I know. They both said it was no big deal, but I suspected that it affected them more than they let on. Do you know exactly what happened last night? I don't really see Agent Booth kissing one woman while dating another, even if one of them is Dr. Brennan."

 "I don't know exactly, but Bren said she kissed him. She also mentioned being tired, medicated, and that it was somehow an accident."

 Sweets nodded. "She's rationalizing, which is to be expected."

 Angela shook her head. "I know Bren and if she kissed him it was because she wanted to. She can rationalize it however she likes, but I don't think rational is working for her today. She was really upset and then Booth comes by and tells her he has a date tonight... his timing stinks, that's all I'm saying."

 Sweets folded his hands together under his chin and considered how much to reveal. "If I had to guess, I'd say Agent Booth has been feeling guilty about dating, even though he has every right to. While he and Dr. Brennan are not involved romantically, I think he feels that his first obligation is to her, regardless. If something happened between them last night then his resulting guilt would have prompted him to reveal his relationship with Rachel."

 "Rachel, huh?" Angela thought about this for a minute. "Look, I like Booth. I personally think he's the best thing that ever happened to Brennan, but if he's not careful Bren will have a trip booked to the other side of the world before he can figure out what's going on here."

 "To be honest, I wasn't surprised to see Agent Booth out with another woman. I've been waiting for something like this. He and Dr. Brennan have had a surrogate relationship with one another, and at some point it was to be expected that one or both of them would test the boundaries of that relationship."

 Angela wrinkled her brow. "You mean by sleeping with other people?"

 Sweets leaned forward. "No, you're missing my point. I think Agent Booth is testing his emotional boundaries because the only thing missing from his relationship with Brennan is the physical side. Since this is the most emotionally complicated relationship Brennan has ever had with a man, she might not see that, but it's my belief that Booth recognizes it on some level."

 Sweets made a good point, but she still wasn't ready to let Booth off the hook. "I see your point, but Brennan is really handicapped when it comes to this kind of thing. If she made the first move, accidental or not, and he rejected her, then he may not get another chance."

 Sweets grinned. "Oh I doubt he rejected her, further adding to his confusion and guilt, and Dr. Brennan probably would have been able to rationalize it better if he had." Sweets shook his head. "Trust me, whatever happened last night affected both of them. I doubt Booth will walk away from this, but he'll probably feel that he needs to deal with his situation with Rachel first."

 Angela sighed and stood up. "Fine, I won't kill him... yet. I'll work on Bren and I'll just leave Booth to you." She winked at him as she left, leaving Sweets to wonder how he was supposed to broach this subject with Agent Booth without getting shot.


	4. Realizations

Booth was just wrapping up his meeting with Cullen and Caroline when there was a knock on Cullen's door.

Cullen glanced up. "Come in." Charlie walked into the room holding an evidence box. He cleared his throat as he glanced at Booth, then said, "Agent Booth, there's something here you need to see." 

Booth stood up and took the box from Charlie. "What is it?"

"They found all of this in the kill room in the basement," Charlie replied. "It looks like maybe this killer is familiar with Dr. Brennan's work."

The silence that hung over the room after that statement was palpable. Booth opened the box and began pulling out stacks of plastic bags, each of which contained a different article about Brennan's career. The articles described various digs she'd been on, her work at the Jeffersonian, and her work for the FBI. He sorted through them silently, his mood growing darker with each one he looked at. After a few minutes he looked at Cullen and Caroline. "Some of these articles pre-date my partnership with Bones - there's stuff here that goes all the way back to her grad school days."

Cullen was quiet for a moment and then said, "So we have to assume that the killer used the timing of the building demolition to reveal his work - if he's a fan of hers, he wouldn't want it destroyed before Dr. Brennan had a chance to see it." He looked up at Booth. "In light of this, I think it might be best to have Dr. Brennan stick to the lab on this one."

Caroline snorted. "Good luck with that."

Booth privately agreed with Caroline. Considering how rocky things were between him and Brennan at the moment, an order like that was just going to make her angry. "I want every inch of that basement turned upside down. If you find anything else like this, I want to see it immediately, got it?" Charlie nodded and hurried from the room. Booth put the bags back in the box and picked it up. "Sir, if we're done I need to get this to Sweets, see what he can make of it."

Cullen nodded. "Keep me in the loop, Agent Booth. If you think it's necessary, assign a detail to Dr. Brennan. They'll probably want to increase security at the lab as well." He watched Booth walk out before turning to Caroline. "Well, this complicates things. I'm not sure how objective Booth can be if it turns out Dr. Brennan is an object of interest to this killer."

Caroline gathered her files and stood to leave. "I'd say objectivity is out the window on this one. I would not want to be that killer when Booth gets his hands on him."

* * *

 

Booth strode into Sweets' office without knocking, startling the psychologist. "Agent Booth... you've uh, talked to Angela?"

"What? No... wait, was Angela here? What's wrong, is it Bones?" Booth sounded agitated.

"No, sorry, nothing's wrong. Why don't you sit down and tell me what's wrong. Clearly something has upset you." Sweets waved to a chair but Booth ignored him. He walked forward and dropped the box on the table in front of Sweets.

"Look, I don't have time for a session. I need you to drop whatever you're doing today and concentrate on this," Booth said, slapping his hand down on the lid.

Sweets pulled the box toward him and opened it. "What exactly am I looking at here?" he asked as he pulled out some of the bags. Booth gestured for him to start reading, so he looked down and sorted through the articles before him. "These are all about Dr. Brennan? Where did you get them?"

"Our techs found them in the kill room of the basement," Booth said shortly. "I need to know exactly what kind of psycho you think we're dealing with here."

Sweets looked back at the articles before him. "Do you know how far back they go?"

"I saw at least one that went back to her grad school days, a dig she went on in Guatemala."

Sweets nodded. "I'm also going to need all of the photos of that room, as well as a list of everything else found there. The items in the room, as well as how they were positioned, could be important."

"Fine, you'll have what you need before the end of the day." Booth turned to go but Sweets stopped him with his next words.

"Agent Booth, I think you need to consider that your personal feelings for Dr. Brennan may hinder this investigation. Whatever's going on between you two... maybe it's better to get it worked out sooner rather than later."

Booth turned slowly, and the look on his face made Sweets sit back. "What exactly does that mean? Bones is my friend and partner, so of course I'm upset about this. I don't really appreciate you implying otherwise, or questioning my professionalism."

Sweets chose his next words carefully. "Ordinarily I would let this drop, allow you to reveal at your own pace. But this," he waved his hand toward the box, "changes things. No one who knows you is oblivious to the fact that there is a much more personal aspect to your relationship with Dr. Brennan than that of just friends and partners. I'm merely pointing out that allowing yourself to be guided by guilt or confusion with regard to your feelings is not going to help either of you right now. Just think about it," he added. "I'll get started on this and give you a preliminary report this evening."

Booth said nothing, but after a moment he nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

* * *

 

Brennan spent the afternoon fully absorbed in the remains that were arriving. As she worked, she began to feel more balanced and calm, and all of the anxiety from that morning faded away. Both Angela and Hodgins came and went, but she barely noticed them as she worked. This was her element, a place of reason and logic, and it allowed her to place things in perspective again. The kiss had only been a kiss, after all. She wasn't going to lie to herself about it. She felt something for Booth that she wasn't completely sure how to define. While she couldn't quantify her reaction, she couldn't deny it either, not if she was going to be honest with herself. But that was her problem to deal with; her puzzle to work through, and punishing Booth wasn't fair to either of them. She knew that she had hurt him with her dismissal earlier. She continued to work until Angela interrupted her around six.

"Bren, Cam needs to see you in her office." Angela walked around the table toward Brennan. "Look, you need a break anyway. Why don't we get something to eat after you talk to her? I think it would do you good to get out for a few minutes."

Brennan sighed. She was hungry, and her knee was throbbing from standing all afternoon. "Ok, Ange," she said, pulling off her gloves and disposing of them. "What does Cam want?"

"I don't know, but Booth has been in there with her for twenty minutes and neither of them looked very happy," Angela replied.

Brennan pulled off her labcoat and hung it up in her office. "Booth's here?" She asked casually, feeling nervous flutters in her stomach.

Angela nodded. "Look, Bren... I'm not going to push, but I want you to know you can talk to me about whatever's going on between you two."

"I know. I've been thinking about things this afternoon. Maybe later we can talk?" Brennan paused, then hugged her friend.

Angela hugged her back, surprised but happy that she wasn't pushing everyone away. "Sure, we'll talk later."

She followed Brennan to Cam's office. The mood was decidedly grim as they sat down, though Booth's expression was unreadable. Hodgins joined them moments later, and Cam said. "Now that we're all here we need to talk about tightened security at the lab, people." She glanced at Booth. "Do you want to give them the details?"

Booth nodded. He looked at Brennan as he spoke. "Bones, we found some evidence at the scene that indicates the killer has a personal interest in your work."

"Personal interest?" Brennan's brow wrinkled. "What kind of personal interest?"

"He's been collecting news and magazine clippings on you for years. Sweets is going through them now, but they look like they start as early as your grad level work and continue through the present and your work with the FBI." Booth let out a frustrated sigh and stood up, pacing as he spoke. "He should have a preliminary report some time tonight, but I think we can safely say that you are a point of interest for the killer."

Brennan looked around the room. Cam looked serious, and Angela and Hodgins were both visibly upset by this news. "Are you saying that you think it's someone who knows me?"

Booth ran a hand over the back of his head. "I don't know, but it doesn't really matter. The point I'm making right now is that we need to proceed as if this person is dangerous to you. Cam is taking care of extra security here at the lab, and meanwhile, you are not to go anywhere alone. If I can't be with you, then an FBI detail will be following you to and from work, and anywhere else you go, until we catch this guy."

Brennan stood up, ignoring the pain in her knee as she protested. "Booth, that's not necessary! The security is tight here at the lab, and I can take care of myself on the short drive to and from work. Having someone follow me around is a waste of the FBI's time and resources."

"Bones, I'm not even going to argue with you about this, that's how serious I am. You are not to go anywhere without that detail because I don't consider keeping you alive a waste of time or resources!" He glared at her, just daring her to argue with him. They stared at each other, neither speaking, until finally Brennan looked away and sat back down. "Fine. Is it okay for Angela and I to go eat dinner together, or would you like the FBI babysitting detail to start tonight? Unless you'd like to cancel your date and follow us around personally," she said with acid in her tone. She knew she was being unfair, but she was so angry she couldn't stop the words.

Cam and Hodgins both looked surprised by her last words and looked over at Booth. A muscle jumped in his jaw as he stared at Brennan, who was still avoiding his gaze. "You know what Bones? Why don't you and Angela join us for dinner? Rachel would like to meet you; she's a big fan of your books."

"Fine." Brennan couldn't believe what she just agreed to. The last thing she felt like doing tonight was meeting Booth's girlfriend. Her head hurt just thinking about it.

Hodgins raised his hand. "I could eat," he said. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he could tell it was going to be interesting. He looked at Cam, who said, "Why don't we all go? Safety in numbers."

Booth threw up his hands. "Sure, why not? Be ready to leave in 30 minutes." He left the office, muttering to himself.

  

* * *

 

Brennan walked back to her office and sat behind her desk, putting her head down on her arms. Angela followed a couple of minutes later carrying a small bag and closed the door behind her.

"Okay sweetie, we have a little work to do before dinner," she said. She pulled out a silky blue shirt and a small makeup bag.

Brennan looked up to see what she had and shook her head. "Angela, I'm not changing clothes and putting on makeup to go to dinner."

"Oh yes you are. We all remember Blondie Longlegs, so it's a safe bet this woman is more of the same."

"I'm not competing for Booth, Ange," she protested.

Angela pulled a chair over, sat across from Brennan and reached for her hands. "That's part of your problem, Bren. Booth is there for the taking where you're concerned - everyone sees that except for you. With a little encouragement..."

Brennan pulled away from her friend and cut her off. "We're partners and friends and that's all." She busied herself with some papers on her desk.

Angela snorted. "So the fact that he has a girlfriend doesn't bother you at all?"

"Why should it? Booth is a prime example of an alpha male. It's perfectly reasonable that he would form social ties with a woman who engages his interest on a physical level."

"And what if it's more than that this time?"

Brennan continued sorting through requests for her expertise, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest that question brought. "I wouldn't expect our friendship to change. We would still be partners."

"Bren, what you two have had for the last couple of years, it's more than that. Sweets is right - it's a surrogate relationship without the sexual benefits and it can't continue that way forever. Booth is a one-woman type of guy, and I think he wants you to be that woman. But if you're not willing to be the one he commits to, eventually he'll find someone else. When that happens..." Angela paused, thinking about how to get through to her friend. "When that happens, you won't have those parts of him anymore that have been yours. I just don't want you to realize what you want when it's too late to do anything about it."

Brennan was quiet. Finally she looked up at Angela and said, "I'm scared, Ange. I don't know how to do this, or be the kind of person he would need me to be. And if I disappointed him, or he decided that I was too much trouble... I've dealt with the loss of people in my life before. My parents. My brother. If he left too I don't think I could survive that."

Angela squeezed her hands and said, "Sweetie, if he didn't give up on you in the beginning, what makes you think he would now? However difficult you've made things for him, he's never run away or asked you to be anything you're not. You tell me one guy you've slept with you can say the same of."

Brennan smiled at her friend, then said, "You really think I could make it work?"

"I know this... you'll never know unless you enter the race." Angela held up the bag and said, "And we might as well stack the odds in your favor. When I'm done, Blondie will have nothing on you."

Brennan laughed and gave in. "Fine, I guess it's easier than arguing with you."

* * *

 

Thirty minutes later they all arrived at Founding Fathers. Booth went to check on their table, and soon they were seated. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking, asking them all to come. When he called Rachel to tell her of the change in plans, she seemed excited to finally meet some of the people he spent so much time with. He glanced over at Brennan, who was sitting beside him. She looked beautiful tonight, her deep blue shirt setting off her skin and eyes perfectly. He swallowed hard and looked away. _This was such a mistake_ , he thought.

Just then he saw Rachel making her way toward their table. He stood up to greet her, feeling very uncomfortable when she reached up to kiss him. "Seeley, sorry I'm late. My last client meeting ran a little long."

Booth cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, this is Rachel Maddison." He made the introductions quickly and then pulled a chair out, seating her on his other side.

Brennan looked at Rachel. Angela was right - Rachel was tall, blonde and in a word...perfect. She had large hazel eyes, symmetrical features, full lips and even a little dimple in her left cheek. It was also clear that she suffered from none of Brennan's social awkwardness as she chatted easily with Cam, who was seated beside her. She could certainly understand Booth's attraction to this woman and was suddenly grateful she had allowed Angela's impromptu makeover.

Rachel suddenly looked her way. "Dr. Brennan, I'm actually a big fan of yours. I love your books and," she pulled her latest novel out of her bag, "I was hoping I could get you to sign this one for me." She handed it over along with a pen.

Brennan accepted the book and pen, quickly signing a brief message and her name on the inside cover before handing it back.

"Thanks. You know, the work you do is so interesting. Do you base your books on actual cases that you've worked on?"

Brennan glanced at Booth and said, "I pull bits and pieces from cases I've worked on. The science is real, of course, but everything else is purely fictional."

Angela said dryly, "Oh, I think Special Agent Andy Lister has some basis in reality." She winked at Booth.

Booth sat up straight and said, "Bones has always said that he's just a fictional character. She wrote the book, so she should know."

Angela arched one eyebrow knowingly. "Yeah, and I've heard you argue that point with her too many times to count."

"Bones?" Rachel questioned, looking curious.

"Booth's little nickname for Brennan," Angela offered helpfully.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Who's hungry?" Booth picked up his menu, and after a moment Rachel did the same. Once everyone ordered, Angela smiled at Rachel and asked, "So, how long have you two been seeing each other? Booth here has been holding out on us."

"About six weeks. Between his schedule and mine, it's a wonder we're able to make it work." Rachel reached over and squeezed his arm. "You guys keep him pretty busy at that lab when there's a case. Speaking of which, Dr. Brennan, I hope you're feeling better. What happened yesterday must have been awful."

Brennan answered, "Yes, it was very upsetting to have the remains compromised like that. I'll have to spend additional time determining markings on the bones that may have resulted from the collapse."

"Bones, I think she meant the part where you were buried alive and could have been killed," Booth said, exasperated. 

"Booth, you're exaggerating the circumstances."

"It's not an exaggeration, it's a fact. If you had been any closer to the area of collapse, you might not be sitting here right now. Or what if your little admirer had been down there with you?"

"I had my gun, so I would have shot him," Brennan said calmly as the waiter arrived with the food.

"Oh your gun... don't remind me," Booth retorted. "I don't want you carrying a gun, I've told you that." He picked up his burger and took a bite, unaware of the way everyone else at the table was now staring at them.

"You have an unreasonable attitude when it comes to me carrying a weapon, Booth." Brennan reached over and grabbed one of his fries. "You know I'm a good shot. In fact, as long as I'm armed, I see no reason for the FBI detail you're insisting on."

"Oh no, don't even try it. I don't care how many guns you have, you're still not going anywhere without me right now. And if for some reason I can't be there, you will have agents right behind you the second you step outside the Jeffersonian." Brennan reached for another fry, and he pushed his plate a little closer to her. The fact that this was a well-established routine was obvious, as were the personal undertones to their argument.

Angela stifled a smile as she looked over at Rachel. Surprisingly, she felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault she had unknowingly stepped on the minefield that was Booth and Brennan. They should really come with a warning label for outsiders.

"So, Angela, what is it that you do for the Jeffersonian?" Rachel asked suddenly.

"I'm an artist. I do the facial reconstructions, as well as computer simulations of crimes and crime scenes. I also do other simulations for the museum, but I concentrate on the forensic element when we have a case."

"You're a lot like one of Dr. Brennan's characters," Rachel said thoughtfully. "What about you Dr. Hodgins?"

"Particulates, bugs and slime, mostly," Hodgins responded to the question.

Rachel nodded. "I feel like I've stepped into one of your novels Dr. Brennan. Clearly you draw a lot of inspiration from those you work with." She looked at Booth as she said this, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Are you referring to Booth's illogical belief that he is somehow the inspiration for Agent Lister?" Brennan asked, "People always seem to think that, but I can assure you Kathy and Andy are merely characters. Booth and I are partners, but we've never engaged in a sexual relationship."

Hodgins suddenly choked on his food, and Angela slapped him on the back. Cam abandoned any pretense of eating as she watched the scene unfold.

"How does your boyfriend feel about the work that you do? He must worry, since it's dangerous."

"I don't have a boyfriend," Brennan answered as she grabbed another fry from Booth's plate.

"Your family then; I'm sure a call like last night must be worrisome," Rachel persisted. "Surely you stayed with family since you had a head injury?"

Brennan looked confused by this line of questioning. "I called my father because he works at the lab and therefore knew about the accident. But since Booth was there, it wasn't necessary for him to come."

Rachel smiled at Booth. "So you took her to the hospital and then stayed with her? That was really nice of you." She picked up her fork and began stabbing at her fish. "Though I'm certain it's not part of your job description."

"So how about those Flyers, man?" Hodgins broke the uncomfortable silence. Booth looked a little stunned by the whole conversation that had just taken place and seized on the new topic gratefully. While they discussed hockey, Rachel picked up her conversation with Cam. Brennan pushed the food around on her plate, not really feeling hungry anymore. She looked at her watch, wondering how quickly she could get back to the remains. She looked up to find Booth's eyes on her. She thought about Parker's science fair the following day.

"With the case, are we still going to Parker's science fair?" she asked him.

"If you can spare the time from the lab. He'll be really disappointed if you don't since you're the one who helped him with it."

"I'll make the time. Mr. Bray and Ms. Wick can continue to catalogue markings on the bones in my absence."

Rachel looked toward them again. "Parker? Your son, right?"

"Yeah. Bones uh... she and her dad helped with his project, so he asked her to come," Booth trailed off a little awkwardly.

"Hmmm." Rachel directed her attention back to Cam. When everyone finished eating, they settled the bill and prepared to leave. Rachel said, "Well, I'm glad to have met you all, finally. It was... informative." She looked at Brennan. "Very informative."

Booth walked Rachel to her car. She was quiet as she unlocked the door, then turned and said, "Seeley, I know now is not the time but I think we need to have a talk. Maybe this weekend?"

Booth nodded. He wasn't sure what to say to her right now anyway. He watched her drive away and then turned back to the group. "Alright, I'm going to trust that all of you can make it back to the Jeffersonian as a group. I need to check in with Sweets, see if he has a preliminary profile worked up." He looked at Brennan. "I expect you to wait for me at the Jeffersonian. I'll drive you home." He could see that she wanted to argue with him, but surprisingly she thought better of it and nodded. He got into his SUV, wondering how his life had gotten so complicated in such a short time.

* * *

 

When they arrived back at the lab, everyone headed for their respective work areas. With all the remains and crime scene evidence coming in, they were looking at a very long weekend. Brennan sat down at her computer, pulling up her schedule. Friday's schedule had been light prior to the case. She remembered that two of her grad students had turned in parts of their thesis papers that she was supposed to review and return to them tomorrow. She began searching through her desk for the flash drive before remembering that it was in her car, which must still be parked at the warehouse. Brennan sighed and looked at her watch. It was now almost nine. She could probably take a cab to retrieve her car and be back at the Jeffersonian before anyone knew she was gone. She grabbed her coat and purse, dialing the number for the cab company as she walked out.

When she arrived at the warehouse, there was less activity than she had expected. The evidence team had gone home, though the warehouse was still taped off. A few people from the construction crew were still hauling off debris, and she could see a couple of FBI agents in a car near the building. She got out of the cab and looked around. She didn't see her car anywhere and wondered if Booth had it removed from the scene. She turned to the cab driver. "Can you wait here for me please?" He nodded.

She crossed the parking lot and when she saw Tom, the foreman, she called out to him.

He looked up, surprised to see her. "Dr. Brennan, what can I do for you? I figured you wouldn't be back around, considering what happened yesterday."

"I feel fine, actually. I was wondering about my car. Do you know what happened to it?" She described it for him.

Tom scratched his head. "I think Agent Booth had someone drive it home for you. You'd have to ask him to be sure, I guess. It was here this morning, but I didn't notice it after lunch. Nice car, by the way."

She thanked him and started to turn back to the cab. She hesitated and then said, "I'm going to take another look at the crime scene. I assume it's safe to go down there?"

Tom nodded. "We've pulled up the floor and set up some stairs with a rail. Do you want me to come down with you?"

"No, thank you. I won't be long."

The two FBI agents assigned to the scene noticed the woman talking to the foreman. Agent Wheeler pointed. "Hey, isn't that Dr. Brennan? I thought Agent Booth said her grad students would be doing all the evidence recovery."

Agent Mathison nodded. "That's what he said." They watched her walk into the building. "Think one of us should call him? She's supposed to have an FBI detail on her, but I don't see anyone."

Agent Wheeler hesitated. "Man, you heard about the scene between Charlie and Booth, right? Booth is downright touchy where his partner is concerned."

Agent Mathison said, "I'll call Patterson. Technically we report to him and he reports to Booth."

Down in the basement, Brennan walked around slowly. It felt strange to be back down here, and she recalled the darkness the previous day when she had regained consciousness. Now there were lights up every few feet, so she could see very well. She walked back to the kill room. The remains had already been removed, as well as the weapons and other evidence. Brennan wasn't sure why she wanted to see it again. As she started to turn back towards the entrance, she felt a blinding pain in the back of her head. Then she felt nothing at all.

* * *

 

Agent Mathison made the call to Patterson then hung up. "He said he'll find Booth, but he wants us to go down there and wait with Dr. Brennan until he gets here."

Agent Wheeler groaned. "Great." They got out of the car and started walking across the lot. "Hey, what do you think's really going on between Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan?"

Mathison looked at him. "What do you mean, personally? How should I know?"

"We've all seen them at the Hoover, or at crime scenes, arguing about pretty much everything. But yesterday the way Booth acted, it just seemed more personal than professional. I'm thinking of adding to the office pool." Wheeler started down the steps into the basement as he spoke.

"Yeah well, what I know is that if Agent Booth hears us speculating on his personal relationship with Dr. Brennan, we'll both be riding a desk, so keep me out of it." Mathison stopped and looked around. "I don't see her anywhere."

"Maybe she went back to that smaller room," Wheeler replied and then called out, "Dr. Brennan?"

Mathison felt a chill run down his spine. "I don't like this." He pulled his weapon and carefully walked to the far wall, then edged into the room. Wheeler followed behind him with his own weapon out. Across the room, he saw Dr. Brennan sprawled on her side. "Holy mother..." he ran forward and knelt beside her as Wheeler checked the rest of the room.

"It's clear," Wheeler said. "How is she?"

Mathison was already dialing for an ambulance. "She's alive, but her head is bleeding in the back. I'd say someone hit her. Call Patterson and tell him what's going on."

* * *

 

Booth sat in his office with Sweets as they discussed the preliminary profile he had drawn up. "So you think this is someone who knows her?"

Sweets nodded. "I went through all of the articles in that box. The first thing that stood out to me is that most of them are original clippings, not copies from archives or from the Internet. That tells me that this person had some knowledge of her schedule and activities, or some way of finding out that information, and he knew what he was looking for. Most of the clippings from the last five years are from D.C. area papers, which leads me to believe he may have followed her here."

Booth nodded. "What else?"

Sweets held up an article about a dig that Brennan attended in grad school. "I think you need to start here. My belief is that whoever this is, Brennan came into contact with them around this period."

Booth took the article. It outlined a trip she had taken to Central America in order to identify genocide victims. He looked at the people in the photo with Brennan, and his attention was caught by her old professor, Michael Stires. He made a mental note to pay Stires a visit and ask some questions about that trip. He looked back at Sweets. "What makes you think she came into contact with him on this particular trip?"

"Because that article was written just after their return and it's the first original clipping. There are a couple of other articles prior to this one, but they're all copies, not originals." He tapped the article in Booth's hand. "Trust me; she caught his interest around this time. It's possible he was someone connected with that trip somehow. I'd start tracking down people who were with her, see what they remember."

Booth pointed to Stires in the photo. "I'll start with her old professor and see what he has to say. He's heading up the anthropology department at George Washington University now, so he's local. What else can you tell me?"

"Because he's been following her career this closely, I'm guessing that he's sought contact with her over the years. He's probably attended her lectures and her book signings. It also wouldn't surprise me to find that the murders began after she was connected to FBI cases. He sees it as an homage to her, if you will."

"Do you think she's a target?" Booth asked quietly.

Sweets nodded. "I think that's a safe assumption. Discovery is going to escalate his need for contact with her. Now that she's aware of him, he'll want to attract her notice all the more. I'll talk to her publisher and have her fan mail pulled, see if anything stands out. If I'm right, he'll make contact sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, I'm going to continue to go through all of the information from the scene and see what else I can give you."

Booth stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Thanks Sweets. I need to get back to the Jeffersonian. If you have the time, I'd appreciate it if you went with me when I talked to Stires. I'd like to know what your impressions are."

"Yeah of course." Sweets stood up also.

They were walking out when someone shouted, "Booth!"

Booth and Sweets turned around to see Agent Patterson hurrying towards them. "Booth, you need to get down to University Hospital. Mathison and Wheeler found Dr. Brennan unconscious at the warehouse, and she's on her way to the hospital by ambulance now."

Booth felt cold fear sweep through him. "What the hell are you talking about? Bones is at the lab, I left her there less than an hour ago."

Patterson shook his head. "All I know is that I got a call from Mathison saying Dr. Brennan was at the scene. Since he and Wheeler didn't see a detail with her, they followed her down into the basement and found her unconscious. Wheeler said it looked like someone hit her in the back of the head."

He cursed and ran for the elevator. "Sweets, call Cam and let her know what's going on." He didn't wait for an answer as he got on the elevator.

Booth felt a sense of déjà vu as he rushed through the emergency room doors for the second time in as many days. He went straight to the information desk. "I need to know where Temperance Brennan is."

The woman looked up, recognizing the agent from the previous day. "Agent Booth, right?" He nodded and she checked her computer. "She's already with the doctor." She pushed the button to allow him back and showed him to the exam room. He walked in to see her lying on the hospital bed. She was pale and still, and his heart lurched in his chest, making it hard to breathe for a moment. He saw the same doctor that was there the previous day. "Dr. Ames, right? How is she?"

Dr. Ames shook his head. "It's hard to say until after we have CT images. We're about to take her back for a scan now. I will say the fact that this is the second head injury she's suffered in as many days, coupled with the fact that she hasn't yet regained consciousness... well, it's not a good sign."

Booth sat next to her bed and picked up one of her hands. It felt small and cold and he rubbed it between his own as he stared at her. He sat with her until the x-ray technicians came to take her for the CT scan. After they left, he stood up and wandered over to the window, staring blindly out at the lights of the city. He was still waiting when the nurse came back and said, "Agent Booth, there are some people here asking about Dr. Brennan."

Booth followed her out into the waiting room, where he found Max, Hodgins, Cam and Angela. Max stepped forward first. "How is she?"

"I don't know yet," Booth responded shortly. "She was still unconscious when they took her back for the CT scan. Cam, why the hell was she back at the crime scene?"

Cam shook her head. "Booth, none of us realized she had left until we got the call from Sweets. The last time I saw her she was in her office, checking to see what was on her schedule for the next few days."

"Well, someone should have noticed that she left," he shot back.

Cam held up her hand. "Hey, I know you're upset, but this isn't going to help. None of us had any reason to think she was going anywhere."

Booth didn't answer. He sat in one of the chairs and shoved his hands through his hair, linking his fingers behind his neck. He stared at the floor as the others talked quietly. After a few minutes, Max sat down next to Booth.

"Booth, none of this is your fault."

"Max, her safety is my responsibility. I knew that from the first moment she ever stepped into the field with me."

"And you've always taken excellent care of my daughter. Did you think I didn't keep tabs on her while I was away?" Booth looked up, surprised. "Booth, when she started working with you, I did my research. I wanted to know what kind of man you are, if you could be trusted to keep her safe. I never had any doubts about you where she was concerned."

Booth smiled grimly. "Yeah I'm doing a great job this week."

"Tempe is a happier, better person because of you. I have a relationship with both of my children because of you. But Tempe will always be her own woman, rushing ahead to make her own decisions at times. You can't take it all onto yourself."

Just then a nurse approached and said, "Dr. Brennan is being settled in a private room now, if you want to come with me." They all followed her to the hospital room where Brennan still lay unmoving. Booth stood over her silently for a moment and then reached to push a few strands of hair back. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, cradling the side of her face in his hand. As he ran his fingers over her hair, he noticed something odd. A small section of hair behind her ear, maybe an inch wide, had been cut. Booth turned to the nurse. "Did someone here have to cut her hair?"

The nurse walked over to see what he was talking about. "No, but I noticed that when she came in. I assumed it happened somehow at the scene."

Booth felt a hot wave of anger rush through him as he realized what it meant. The killer had taken a souvenir.

* * *

 

After Brennan was settled, Booth stepped into the hallway to check in with Patterson.

"Booth, I talked to Wheeler and Mathison. They've had our guys going over every inch of that basement again, but so far nothing. No one saw anyone hanging around who looked out of place. Wheeler said he definitely would have seen someone follow Dr. Brennan down the stairs, so we have to assume the guy was already down there. The perp must have snuck back out while they were busy with Dr. Brennan."

Booth paced the hallway. "Do you know what she was doing there?"

"Yeah, according to the foreman she was asking about her car."

Booth rubbed his hand over his face. He should have thought about thatmsince she wasn't aware he'd had an agent drive it home for her. "Patterson, I think the killer took something with him this time. The silver dolphin necklace Bones was wearing earlier is gone. It wasn't with her other jewelry they removed here at the hospital. Have the techs search for it, make sure it didn't just fall off, but I think he took it. He also cut a piece of hair from behind her ear." His stomach churned as he said it. "Go by Sweets' office and give him an update. He was working late tonight, trying to get a full profile worked up."

"The perp took a piece of her hair with him?" Patterson sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Make sure Sweets knows about both the necklace and the hair. I also want an agent assigned to the hospital tomorrow."

"Sure. How is Dr. Brennan?"

Booth paused outside the door to her room. "I don't know. She hasn't regained consciousness yet and we're still waiting on the scan results."

Patterson was silent for a minute and then said, "I'm sorry man. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

Booth hung up. His thoughts went back to Brennan and everything that had happened between them the day before. He stared at his phone for a minute, thinking, before dialing Rachel's number. After he explained what happened, he asked her if she could meet him in the hospital cafeteria for lunch the next day. Although she sounded surprised, she agreed. Feeling better, he walked back into Brennan's room and sat down next to her bed. He had suspected for a couple of weeks that his heart wasn't really in it where Rachel was concerned, and now there was no doubt in his mind at all. Maybe he was confused, and things between him and Brennan were tenuous at best, but deep down he knew that there was no room for anyone else in his life right now.

Hodgins left while Booth was on the phone but returned with coffee for everyone. Booth heard them all talking but just couldn't bring himself to join in. He held Brennan's hand, willing her to open her eyes. The doctor finally came back with the results of her scan. "We've had the neurologist look at this, and I think she'll be fine. Of course there's some swelling, and she has a concussion, but there's no evidence of bleeding. As long as she regains consciousness tonight, we can probably let her go home tomorrow afternoon."

The mood in the room lifted as relief replaced the fear and worry of the last two hours. After promising to check in again tomorrow, Cam left. Angela refused to leave, and Hodgins and Max decided to stay as well.

They all settled in to wait. Angela pulled out a sketch pad, working quietly. Hodgins sat next to her, reading, and Max leaned his head back against the wall, resting. Even though Booth had not slept well the previous night, he knew he couldn't close his eyes.

Two hours later, Booth was the only one still awake. He had relaxed into the chair, lulled by the rise and fall of Brennan's steady breathing. He thought he knew exactly what his feelings were for his partner, but now his feelings were like a puzzle that had been upended and scattered. Every piece represented a memory, a piece of them that fit together to make up the whole. He thought about everything they had been through; as the hours passed more pieces of the puzzle came together. Maybe he had been slow to realize the truth, but that truth took hold of his heart now and refused to let go. He was in love with Temperance Brennan.

* * *

 

Brennan was confused as she opened her eyes. She tried to move her right hand, finally realizing someone was beside her. She turned her head, wincing at the sharp pain, to see Booth sitting close to her bed, both of his hands wrapped around hers. "Hey Bones," he said softly.

"Booth." Her throat felt a little scratchy, so she swallowed and tried again. "What happened?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Someone decided it was a good idea to go back to the crime scene without telling anyone. Your admirer apparently got the jump on you. What were you doing down in the basement alone anyway?"

Brennan thought back to earlier in the evening. "I needed a flash drive that was in my car, which I thought was still parked at the warehouse."

"Funny," Booth said. "I don't remember your car being parked in the basement."

"What? Of course it wasn't parked in the basement. Did _you_ hit _your_ head?" When he rolled his eyes, she said, "Oh I get it. You were using sarcasm to make a point. Not really funny with the headache I have right now," she added grumpily.

Booth suddenly smiled at her. "Hey if you're grumpy, then you must be okay." He hit the button for the nurse, who called for Brennan's doctor. With the increased activity, the others woke up. Everyone gathered around the bed, and despite being tired and having a headache, Brennan felt glad they had all stayed.

_I'm really not alone in the world anymore_ , she thought to herself. These were all people she could count on - they were herpeople. The doctor concluded his exam with the request that she stay awake, stating that if she was still fine tomorrow he would allow her to go home. After he left, Brennan convinced Angela, Hodgins and Max to go home as well. They all promised to be back in the morning.

Brennan leaned back against her pillows and looked at Booth. "So I guess I'm grounded?"

He laughed. "I forget what a funny lady you are now." His expression turned serious. "Bones, I really need you to cooperate when it comes to your safety. Whatever's going on here, whatever this killer's agenda is, you're definitely a part of it. I need to know that if I ask you to do something, you're going to listen to me." He leaned forward and picked up her hand again, running his thumb over her fingers. "Can you promise me that?"

Brennan looked down at their joined hands and then looked up to meet his eyes again. "I promise," she said.

 


	5. Waiting Game

The rest of the night seemed to pass quickly. Booth talked a lot, telling Brennan stories of his misspent youth with Jared. He threw in a few humorous Army tales, and one from his days at the FBI Academy. He could see that she was too tired to talk, but she listened carefully to everything he said. He was still holding her hand - he expected her to pull away at some point, but she never did.

Morning brought Max, Cam, Angela, Hodgins, Sweets, Daisy, and Wendell. Booth didn't leave his seat and refused to let go of her hand, something they all noticed but pretended not to. Even Sweets let it pass, though he did smirk at Booth a little as he put a small bouquet of flowers on Brennan's bedside table. Hodgins and Angela had brought coffee, juice and breakfast items to pass around.

As they ate, Brennan began asking questions about the remains waiting at the lab. As much as she wanted to get back to work, she knew she wouldn't be able to do it today. Cam said she had decided to call in a few of the other interns to help, since they were dealing with multiple victims. Aside from the more recently deceased victims found in the kill room, Wendell and Daisy had recovered seven sets of skeletal remains, all female, all roughly between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. They would all be working through the weekend to determine identity, as well as bone markings that could give them cause of death.

When Brennan mentioned coming in the following day, Cam nixed the idea. "Dr. Brennan, as much as I'd like to have you back at the lab as soon as possible, I don't want to see you in there before Monday. I'll have the interns upload images to the database that you can review from home. We can also do some video conferences to keep you in the loop."

When Brennan started to protest, Booth squeezed her hand. She looked at him, sighed and relented. "Fine, but I want to be kept informed each step of the way."

"Of course," Cam agreed, though she looked surprised it was that easy.

Around nine an agent knocked on the door to let Booth know he was ready to take up the vigil. He stood up and looked at Brennan. "Sweets and I are going to talk to your old professor this morning."

Brennan looked surprised. "Michael? Surely you don't think he has something to do with this."

Booth shook his head. "No, but I'm hoping he might be able to give us a lead. Any information he could give us about the people around you during your grad work could be useful."

"But I could give you the same information Booth. I was there," she pointed out.

"Yeah, and if I needed a minute description of all the bones you dug up back then, you'd be the one I'd ask. I'm looking for insights into people here, anyone who might have been just a little too interested in you and your work. You and Stires were involved, so that's the sort of thing he would have noticed, not you."

"You were involved with your professor?" Max asked. "That seems a little unethical on his part."

"Dad, I was twenty-three, and we were always more like colleagues than mentor and mentee. The age difference was less than ten years."

"Max will stay with you this morning and I have an agent posted outside your door. I'll be back this afternoon." She raised her eyebrows over all the safety precautions, but again she didn't argue. He squeezed her hand and followed Sweets out of the room.

* * *

After going home to shower and change, he met Sweets at the university and headed over to the anthropology department. After checking the directory, they quickly found Stires' office. Booth knew he had office hours from 10:00 - 12:00 on Friday mornings, so wasn't surprised to see him with a student. He knocked on the open door and Stires looked up, his eyes widening slightly as he recognized Booth.

"Agent Booth? This is a surprise."

Booth nodded. "Stires. If you have some time, there's something we need to talk to you about." His tone made it clear he expected Michael to make the time.

"Yeah, ok." He looked at his student and said, "If it's alright with you we'll just continue this on Monday." The student nodded and when he left, Michael turned to Booth. "What can I help you with, Agent Booth?"

"I'm investigating a multiple homicide. This is Dr. Lance Sweets, who is assisting us with a profile." He pulled out a copy of the article about the dig in Central America. "What can you tell me about this trip?"

Michael glanced over the article. "It was an anthropological dig to identify genocide victims buried in mass graves. Two other professors and I organized the trip, and we brought along our best grad students for field study, as well as a few undergrads to help out." He looked back up at Booth. "Tempe was also on this trip, as I'm sure you know. She could tell you as much about it as I could."

"At any point during this trip, did you notice anyone paying special attention to Dr. Brennan or her work?"

Michael regarded him silently for a moment. "What exactly is going on here? Why do you need to know about a trip that was ten years ago, and what does this have to do with Tempe?" When Booth didn't answer, he added, "Look, I can help you more if I have some idea of what you're looking for."

Sweets answered him. "Dr. Stires, we have reason to believe that a serial killer has developed a particular interest in Dr. Brennan and her anthropological work. We also believe she attracted his interest at some point during this trip. Any information you can give us would be helpful."

"You think the killer has an interest in Tempe? Has she been hurt?"

"He assaulted her last night when she went back to check on something at the crime scene," Booth said tersely. "Given the circumstances, you can understand why I'm a little upset. So I'd appreciate it if you could just answer the questions we have."

Michael looked at Agent Booth for a moment. He was tightly wound, his expression clearly indicating he wouldn't back off. He found himself wondering about the nature of the relationship between Tempe and her partner. He nodded and looked back at the photo that accompanied the article. "This was a pretty tense trip. The local army hovered over us while we worked, and since they were probably the ones responsible for the deaths, it was a pretty scary situation for the students. Tempe was the most brilliant student I'd ever had, bar none. I can remember two men showing a particular interest in her: Dr. Walters and a grad student by the name of Perry Keisner. They're both pictured here." He pointed them out as he handed the article back to Booth.

"Would you say their interest was more personal or professional?" Sweets asked.

"I'd say a little of both, really. Tempe's a smart, beautiful woman and men tend to take notice. Dr. Walters was never inappropriate, but Keisner was a different story. He acted a little lovesick around her for a while until she broke two of his fingers." Michael's mouth quirked up at the memory as he continued, "Let's just say he kept his hands to himself after that and tried to stay out of her way."

Booth looked at Sweets. "Sounds like a possible motive to me."

Sweets said, "There's a certain type of personality that might want to save face after being publicly embarrassed like that, especially by a woman. But they would usually take a more direct approach, in the form of some sort of harassment. I think it's more likely that we're looking for someone who never made his interest publicly known, maybe someone younger than her." He directed his attention toward Michael. "You said there were a number of undergrad students who volunteered on this trip?"

Michael nodded. "They're not in that photo, and I can't remember names offhand. I can do some checking and get them for you though."

Booth stood up and handed Michael his card. "I'd appreciate that, the sooner the better."

Michael walked with them towards the door. "I can tell you that Dr. Walters and Dr. Freeman have both been in South America for the last year, so I doubt they'll be of much help. As far as the other grad students on the trip, I don't think any of them are local." He watched them walk out and then said, "Agent Booth, how is Tempe?"

Booth turned and looked at him. "Why don't you just let me worry about Bones." He continued down the hall and out of the building. "I really don't like that guy," he muttered.

"So they were involved, huh?" Sweets asked.

Booth looked at him. "Just stick to the case, Sweets."

* * *

Back at the hospital, Brennan was playing cards with her dad. "You're letting me win, Dad. You don't have to let me win just because I'm injured, you know."

"You have no proof of that, honey. Maybe I'm just having an off day," Max answered.

She rolled her eyes at him. "It's lunchtime anyway. Aren't you supposed to be back at the lab around one? You told me that a school group was coming in this afternoon."

"I'm just waiting for Cam to get here," he answered. "She's going to stay with you for a while during lunch and Angela will stay until Booth picks you up to take you home."

"Dad, there's an FBI agent outside my door. Booth is being ridiculously overprotective with all of these precautions. If Cam is on her way, there's no reason why you can't go eat lunch and go back to the lab."

Max looked at his watch. "Well, I guess a few minutes alone won't hurt." He kissed the top of her head. "And cut Booth a little slack, honey. When a man sees someone he loves in danger, it can make him a little crazy. Trust me, I know."

Brennan looked down and began adjusting her blankets. "Booth and I are just friends and partners. He doesn't feel that way about me."

Max smiled at her. "We'll see." He walked out whistling, leaving Brennan deep in thought. A few minutes later, the agent opened the door and said, "Dr. Brennan, you have a visitor."

She looked up to see Rachel, holding a flower arrangement. "Hi, Dr. Brennan. I hope you don't mind me stopping by to see you."

Brennan was surprised but shook her head. "No, that's fine." She nodded to the agent, who closed the door. Rachel walked over to add her flowers to the others on the bedside table. "Booth isn't here right now though."

"I know. I'm meeting him downstairs in about ten minutes. I just wanted to bring these flowers and tell you that I hope you're feeling better." She sat down next to the bed.

"You're meeting Booth?" Brennan asked. She knew she probably shouldn’t be prying for information, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

"We were supposed to have lunch, but one of my clients bumped up our meeting time, so I can only stay for a few minutes."

"But you'll probably see him this weekend."

Rachel shrugged. "Actually, I don't think I'll be seeing him after today."

"You're breaking up with him? Is it because of this case?" Brennan asked. She could hear how agitated she sounded and tried for a more neutral tone. "I've told him that he doesn't have to hover."

Rachel smiled at her. "I think it will be mutual. And I'm not doing this because of you; I'm doing it because of me. I'm not the kind of woman who poaches on another's territory." She stood up as she spoke.

"I don't know what that means."

"Oh, I think you will soon enough." She held out her hand to Brennan. "I'm really looking forward to your next book by the way. Something tells me that Kathy and Andy's story is about to get interesting. Hopefully I can make it to your next book signing." Waving goodbye, she walked out, leaving Brennan more confused than ever.

* * *

Booth walked into the hospital cafeteria and saw Rachel waiting at a table near the entrance. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and looked at her cup of coffee. "Not hungry?" he asked.

"I can't stay long. My schedule for today got shifted around so I need to be back at the office soon. I'm glad you called though, because I did a lot of thinking last night."

Booth sighed. "Yeah, so did I." He sat back in his chair, unsure how to begin.

"Seeley, I'm going to make this easy for you. As much as I like you, I think what we have here isn't working." She met his gaze directly as she spoke. "You're a wonderful man, but it was clear last night that Dr. Brennan occupies a place in your life that no other woman can touch."

He couldn't argue with that and said, "I'm sorry, Rachel. I hope you believe me when I say that if I had realized the extent of my feelings before now, I would have said something. It's important to me that you know that."

Rachel nodded. "I believe you, and honestly I had my doubts before now. Six weeks is a long time to date without moving forward. It had occurred to me there might be a reason for that." She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. "I took some flowers to Dr. Brennan a few minutes ago. She doesn't have any idea how you feel about her, you know."

Booth hesitated before saying, "It's sort of complicated."

"If it helps, I think it's mutual whether she realizes it or not."

He smiled. "You think so, huh?"

Rachel stood up. "A woman can tell these sorts of things." She stepped forward and hugged him. "Take care of yourself, Seeley."

After she left, Booth got a cup of coffee and headed up to Brennan's room. He met Cam in front of the elevators.

"Hey big guy," she said. "I saw you in the cafeteria with Rachel. How'd that go?"

"Better than expected, actually." He hit the button for Brennan's floor. "I won't be seeing her anymore, and she was more understanding than I had any right to expect."

Cam watched him for a moment, and as they stepped off the elevator she said, "If you need to talk about anything, I'm here Seeley. I know this case, coupled with whatever's going on between you and Dr. Brennan..."

Booth cut her off. "Nothing's going on Cam, not yet anyway. And maybe never - I mean, it's Bones you know?" He sighed and leaned against the wall.

"You're not sure how you feel?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "I love her; it's not even a question of that."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's more a question of what happens next, I guess."

Cam smiled. "Aren't you a little old for the sex talk, Seeley?"

He shot her a look. "Really funny, Camille. I can't even think about that, not before I know how she feels. I don't want to scare her, and she doesn't always deal well with emotional intimacy."

"Seeley, I think she feels more for you than either of you realize. Anyone who's around you two for five minutes can see it." She patted his arm as they walked to Brennan's room. "You'll work it out. You two always do."

* * *

 

Brennan heard the door open and turned her head to see Booth and Cam walk in. She winced a little with the movement, and Booth walked over and smoothed his hand over her hair. "Headache?" He asked as he sat beside her.

"A little, but it’s not too bad," she answered. "You're still going to Parker's science fair, aren't you?"

He nodded. "I'll head over to the school in a few minutes."

"Tell him I'm sorry I have to miss it." She looked over at Cam and then said, "Booth, I really don't need a babysitter. Cam probably has more important things to do."

"Hey, I brought lunch for both of us. I figured it's better than hospital food and we both have to eat," Cam pointed out.

Booth leaned forward, resting his forearms on the side of the bed. "See, you're two friends having lunch together, no babysitting involved." He smiled at her, and she again found herself backing down. 

_He does that on purpose_ , she thought. He was charming her, and she was going to allow it like she so often did.

Brennan accepted the takeout bag from Cam. "So did you see Michael?"

He nodded. "Sweets and I talked to him. He mentioned that you broke one of the other grad students' fingers when he got too grabby with you."

"I remember breaking his fingers, though I don't remember his name," she said. She took a bite of the noodles and asked, "Do you think that guy could be the killer because I embarrassed him? It seems farfetched, which is why I don't like psychology."

"I don't know. Sweets said it's possible, but he also wants to check out the undergrad students who went along on the trip. He said it could be a case of hero worship by someone younger. Stires said he could get me a complete list of everyone who was with you. At this point I'm not ruling anyone out."

Her brow wrinkled as she thought about that. "I remember there were undergrad students, but I don't remember talking to any of them very much."

Booth rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Well, obviously someone remembers you." He stood up and walked back towards the door. "I'll probably bring Parker by to see you for a few minutes this afternoon, if that's okay."

"Sure, I'd love to see him." After he left she turned her attention back to Cam. "You really don't have to stay all afternoon. I know the lab must be busy."

"Hey, I volunteered, and Angela will be here around two. Booth is losing a lot of sleep worrying about you right now, so if it makes him feel better I think it's worth it." She smiled at Brennan. "Plus, the Jeffersonian can't afford to lose you. We're a team you know, and when a member of the team goes down, we all step up."

Brennan nodded. She supposed she could understand that. She pushed her noodles around for a minute as she thought about her earlier visitor. "Rachel came by to see me. She said that she and Booth wouldn't be seeing each other anymore. I would expect him to be upset about that, but he didn't mention it."

"I think they both realized that things weren't working for them," Cam replied.

They both finished eating and passed the time discussing the progress the interns were making. Cam promised to make sure everything they had was loaded onto the server so Brennan could take a look the next day. When Angela arrived, Cam left to go back to the lab.

The doctor came in a few minutes later. After a brief examination, he said she could go home later that afternoon. The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, with Angela flipping through magazines while Brennan rested. She was just dozing off when she heard the door open again.

She opened her eyes and saw the FBI agent talking to Angela. "What's going on?" she asked.

Angela finally nodded and turned to Brennan with a suspicious expression. "You have a visitor, but I'll be more than happy to kick him out the front door if you don't want to talk to him." She crossed her arms as Michael Stires walked in.

"Michael, what are you doing here?" Brennan asked.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing. Agent Booth came by to talk to me this morning," he replied as he stood awkwardly near the door.

Angela snorted. "He's so considerate... when he's not trashing your reputation in a courtroom, that is."

"Angela..." Brennan murmured.

Michael looked at Angela. "No, I guess I deserved that." He hesitated, then walked over to the chair and sat down. "I was hoping maybe I could talk to you for a few minutes."

Brennan regarded him silently for a moment, then looked at Angela and nodded.

 Angela sighed and said, "Fine, I'll go get some coffee." She walked out and an uncomfortable silence settled over the room.

Michael cleared his throat. "I was sorry to hear about you being hurt. Booth doesn't think that I had something to do with this, does he?"

"No, I don't think so. When he's investigating a case, he says he likes to turn over all the rocks and watch what crawls out."

"And I'm one of his rocks?"

"Well, not literally. It's a metaphor for investigating all available clues, or so he tells me. I never understood what rocks had to do with it."

Michael laughed. "Same old Tempe. It's nice to see some things haven't changed."

Brennan sighed. "What are you really doing here, Michael? If you have expectations of something happening between us, I have to tell you that it's very unlikely."

He held up his hands. "It's just a friendly visit, I promise. It's been a long time, and I owed you an apology anyway. I am sorry, you know, for everything that went down during that trial." He hesitated and then added, "Besides, I got the impression that you and Agent Booth are involved now."

"I'd say that's really none of your business," she replied. Just then the door opened again and Booth walked in with Rebecca and Parker.

"Bones!" Parker shouted happily as he ran to her bed. "I won the science fair, look at my ribbon!" He held it up proudly.

Brennan smiled at him. "I knew you would win. It was an excellent science experiment."

He nodded. "My teacher said it was impressive. That means real good," he explained. He held up his other hand to show her a small teddy bear. "I got you this to help you feel better. And Mom let me pick out some flowers last night, too. Dad said you like daffodils, but we couldn't find any, so we got you some yellow daisies."

Rebecca put the flowers on the table and said, "I hope you're feeling better." She looked curiously at Michael.

Booth walked over to stand behind Parker. "Stires. I wasn't expecting you to be here." His expression made it clear that he wasn't happy about it either.

Parker looked at his dad, then back at Michael. "Is he your friend?" he asked Brennan.

"He was my teacher a long time ago," she told him.

Parker leaned toward her ear and whispered loudly, "I don't think Daddy likes him. Did he give you a B? 'Cause Dad didn't really like my teacher either after I got a B."

Brennan laughed, while Rebecca stepped in. "Parker, that's not nice." She shook her head and said, "Sorry, we can go if we're interrupting."

"No, you're not interrupting anything," Brennan said truthfully.

Parker leaned forward again. "Dad says that you probably can't go to the park with us in the morning, but I have video games. I could show you how to play them tomorrow night if I come over." His expression was hopeful as he said this.

"Hey buddy, we talked about that remember? I'm going to be staying with Bones this weekend, so you'll have to come and stay with me next weekend."

"But I could stay with Bones too," Parker insisted. "She has lots of room."

"Booth, it's fine for Parker to come tomorrow night. If it's okay with you?" Brennan looked at Rebecca. "I have a spare room."

"Are you sure? I know he would love it, but if you're not feeling well then he'll just have to live with the disappointment." She shot her son a warning look as she said this.

"Really, it's fine. I'd love to have him there." She smiled at the little boy, who began bouncing from one foot to the other.

"See, Dad? I told you she'd want me to come." Parker smiled back at Brennan.

Booth looked at Rebecca, who nodded her agreement. "It's fine - it will actually help me out. I had plans and there's really no hope of me getting a sitter so last minute. I'll just pick him up Sunday afternoon." She motioned to Parker as she looked back at Brennan. "We should get going though and let you get some rest."

Parker started toward his mother and then turned around. "Will it hurt your head if I give you a hug?"

Brennan shook her head. "I think my head will feel a lot better if I get a hug." She held out her arms and Parker climbed carefully on the side of the bed and put his arms around her. After a minute he leaned back and placed a damp kiss on her cheek, then hopped down. "See you tomorrow Bones!"

Brennan smiled as he and Rebecca walked out.

Booth reached down and picked up her hand. "Thanks for that, Bones. He really loves you, you know."

"I feel the same way about him." She squeezed his hand in return.

"I'm going to walk down with them, but I'll be back in just a minute." He glanced at Michael as he said this. "Let me know when you have that list, Stires."

Brennan turned her attention back to Michael, who was looking at her with an odd expression on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing. You're just a very different person from the woman I knew. He's been good for you, I guess." He stood up. "It was nice to see you again Tempe. I'll make sure I get that information for Booth. I want to help with this investigation any way that I can."

Brennan nodded. "We'd appreciate that."

He opened the door. "Take care of yourself," he said, then closed the door behind him. 

* * *

 

 

Brennan walked into her apartment, happy to be home. Booth followed her in and locked the door. "Hey, Bones, you hungry yet? I can make something or we can order in."

"It doesn't matter to me. I'm going to take a shower and then rest for a little while first, though."

She walked back to her bedroom, shut the door and then closed her eyes as she leaned against it. She felt more confused than ever about her feelings for Booth. Everyone else seemed to see something between them, but she couldn't be sure what he wanted, or what she wanted. She didn’t deal well with ambiguity, and it was driving her crazy. She was hyper aware of him physically and emotionally, and she was afraid it was going to be a very long weekend.

After her shower she felt a little better and she lay down on the bed, letting the tension ease from her body. She could hear Booth in the other room. It sounded like he was talking to the TV, so she guessed he had found a hockey game to watch. She fell asleep listening to him.

When she woke later it was completely dark in her bedroom. She turned her head to look at the clock and saw that it was almost eight. Noting that her headache had eased she got up and walked into the living room to find Booth on the couch, still watching TV.

He watched her with concern as she crossed the room and sat beside him. "Hey, feel better?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm hungry."

He jumped up. "I ordered Chinese food a while ago. I'll get it."

"Booth, I can get it myself," she called out.

He shook his head. "Nope, you're going to rest this weekend. That's why I'm here."

She leaned her head back against the couch carefully and tried to watch the game, but she couldn't make her mind focus. It was becoming clear to her that everyone had an opinion, or an assumption, about her relationship with Booth. She thought about the things everyone had said today; Max, Cam, Rachel, even Michael. They all saw something between them, and that made it scarier because it made it real.

Booth sat down and handed her a plate. "See? All your favorite things." She smiled and began eating, still thinking things through, while he went back to watching the game. She stole glances at him, noticing how the fabric of his T-shirt outlined his muscular frame. She suddenly felt warmer, and grabbed her water. 

_This is ridiculous_ , she thought. It was just Booth. Only, he’d never been just Booth. Not really. Pretending that it was any different now was impractical and wouldn’t help her reason through their situation any faster.

When she was finished she stood up to take her plate to the kitchen. He tried to take it from her but she waved him off, saying, "Booth, I'm not an invalid. Do you want anything while I'm up?"

He shook his head and turned back to the TV. In the kitchen she rinsed her plate and grabbed another bottle of water from the refrigerator as she cast a longing glance at the beer beside it. If any situation ever called for alcohol, it was this one, and she silently cursed the pain medication she had taken earlier.

"How's your knee?" Booth asked, watching her carefully as she sat down on the sofa. "Does it still need to be elevated?"

"No, it's fine." She took a deep breath and then said, "Rachel came to see me today before she met you downstairs."

Booth looked at her. "Yeah, she mentioned that."

Brennan began to tap her fingers against the water bottle. "She said she wasn't planning to see you anymore." She didn't look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her.

"It was a mutual decision," he said after a moment.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her palms felt sweaty. "Why?" she asked him. "Is it because of me, because you feel obligated to protect me right now? I don't want to be the reason that you're alone, Booth. That's not fair to you."

"Bones..." he sighed and turned to face her, unsure how much he was ready to reveal, or how much she was ready to hear.

She was visibly upset, and when she looked at him he lost the control he'd been hanging onto all day. He scooted over and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to him. She felt stiff for a moment and then she relaxed and hugged him, leaning her head on his chest. He held her to him, smoothing her hair with his hand. "What happened between me and Rachel had nothing to do with this case, and everything to do with the fact that it just wasn't working. We'd been seeing each other long enough to move forward, but instead we were at a standstill."

"So the sex was bad?" she asked, trying to understand.

"I wouldn't know since I never slept with her," he answered. "Relationships are about more than sex."

Brennan felt herself relax for the first time since hearing Rachel's name. Her relief, while not logical, couldn't be denied. "I'm sorry," she said.

Booth tightened his arms around her. "I'm not."

She looked up at him, and every rational thought flew from her brain as soon as their eyes met. She had never believed in magic between two people the way Booth did, but in that moment she felt she knew what he was talking about. It was electric, and she could feel it in every fiber of her being. He hesitated, then lowered his head and brushed her lips with his. She shifted closer, lifting her head, and he kissed her again. Gentle kisses turned passionate as their lips melded together in a mating dance as old as time. Booth lifted her onto his lap and she slid a hand across the back of his neck, holding him to her. She felt his hands moving down her back, toying with the edge of her T-shirt. His lips trailed gently down the side of her neck as one hand slipped under her shirt to caress the bare skin of her back. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, and she gasped as his lips pressed against the sensitive spot behind her ear.

He sighed and pulled back, smoothing her hair away from her face. "Bones, I think we should stop. As much as I want you, this is too important for me to risk making a mistake."

"You think if we had sex it would be a mistake?" she asked, confused by the abrupt shift in mood.

"If that's all it is, then yes because I want more than that with you." He watched her carefully, trying to gauge her reaction.

She considered his words and then shifted off his lap and stood up. She held her hand out to him. "I want you to sleep with me," she said. "I don't mean have sex... yet," she amended. "I just want to go to sleep, knowing that you're beside me."

He stood up and grabbed his duffel bag, following her into her bedroom. He went to the bathroom and returned in a T-shirt and his boxers. In the dim light he could see her in the bed and he slid in next to her. She turned to him immediately and put her head on his chest, wrapping one arm around his waist. He hugged her to him for a moment and then began rubbing his hand gently across her back.

Brennan felt herself relax, lulled by his steady breathing and the gentle motion of his hand on her back. "Good night, Booth," she whispered. 


	6. Have a Little Faith

Brennan woke slowly. It was early, still dark, and she could feel Booth beside her in the bed. Even in sleep he was protective, curling himself around her, one arm draped over her waist. She lay there thinking, trying to process the events of the previous night. She somehow knew that this was what she wanted, that he was what she wanted, but that knowledge couldn't stop the doubts and the fear from creeping in. She slid out of bed, careful not to wake him, and walked into the living room. She sat in a chair beside the doors to her balcony and watched the lights of the city slowly give way to the dawn.

Booth woke abruptly, taking in his surroundings.  _Brennan's bedroom_ , he thought as he reached his hand out to her side of the bed. The sheets were cold. He sat up and got out of bed to look for her. He found her in the living room, watching the sun come up from a chair near the balcony. He sat in the opposite chair, unsure how to approach her right now.

 Finally he said, "You're not sitting here planning a trip to South America, are you?"

He was only half kidding, and when she remained silent, he felt his heart sink.

Finally she answered him. "Would you be angry if I said I was tempted?"

He swallowed hard, knowing he needed to be careful here if he was going to keep her from running. "Not angry , but I would be disappointed."

She finally looked at him, and he could see the fear warring with the need in her eyes. "I don't want to disappoint you Booth, and I guess I'm afraid that's how it will end up with us. Every relationship I've had has ended in disappointment."

He sighed, weighing his words carefully. "You've never had a real relationship, Bones, and you and I are different."

"Booth, I've had relationships. I lived with someone before I even met you."

"No, you had a roommate with benefits, not a real give-and-take relationship."

"What about Sully? He wanted me to sail around the world with him. I'd call that a relationship."

Booth shook his head. "Sully didn't love you."

She tilted her head. "How can you possibly know that?"

"If he'd really loved you, he never would have left you."

Brennan knew she had to acknowledge the truth in these words. As she looked at Booth, she was reminded of how solid he was. How safe she felt with him. It wasn’t about her physical safety because she’d proven long ago she could take care of her own physical needs. Booth represented the first emotional safety net she’d had since she was fifteen.

It wasn't rational to make assumptions about the future, but it was beyond tempting to believe that he would never hurt her. She wanted to believe he would never leave her. No, it wasn’t rational or logical. But if she could believe that about anyone, she'd believe it of him. She stood up and walked to him, curling herself up in his lap. They watched the sun come up together, both lost in their own thoughts.

The sun was streaming through the window now, casting a light over the shadows she carried around in her mind. "I'm not going to leave this time."

Booth could hear the certainty behind her words and felt the knot in his chest easing. He didn't want to push, but he needed more from her. "Why do you want to stay?"

She raised one hand and placed it on the side of his face as she looked up at him. "Because for the first time, I think I have more to gain from staying than leaving."

She kissed him gently before resting her head back on his shoulder. He tightened his arms around her - maybe it wasn't exactly what he had wanted to hear, but it was enough for now.

Booth left after breakfast to pick up Parker. They had plans to go to the park and then have lunch at the diner, so he would be gone for several hours. She rolled her eyes but didn't protest when he ordered an FBI agent stationed outside her apartment.

After he left, she spent some time answering emails. She had a reminder from her publisher about a book signing the following week, as well as requests for her expertise from various colleagues. She spent an hour answering each email before logging onto the Medico Legal Lab's server.

There she found x-rays on each victim already loaded, as well as preliminary reports from both Cam and Hodgins. They agreed that the latest victim had been dead just under a week when they found her, but they were still working to determine cause of death. Cam had documented several wounds on her chest and extremities, some deep enough to cause bone trauma.

Brennan examined the x-rays next, looking for anything that could be used for identification purposes. She saw evidence of healed fractures in the phalanges of both the hands and feet. In fact, Brennan could see a lot of wear and tear to the bones and the joints. When she got to the bones of the wrist, she knew she had what they needed. She grabbed her phone and hit speed dial. When Booth answered, she said, "The latest victim was a gymnast."

Booth kept an eye on Parker as he pulled out his notebook and pen. "How do you know that?"

"I've been reviewing the x-rays on the server. The victim had multiple healed fractures of the phalanges, and I see evidence of dorsal wrist impingement."

Booth stopped writing. "Bones, English please?"

"It's a wrist injury common to gymnasts. It occurs when the back edge of the radius strikes the wrist bones. Based on the number and severity of the injuries, I'd say the victim began gymnastics as a child and continued at a competitive level, at least through her teen years."

"That should help with the I.D., thanks. Anything else?"

"No. I'll call Cam and let her know, but I thought you might want to pass it along to the agents who are reviewing the missing persons files."

Booth put his notebook back in his pocket. "Okay, I'll see you in a couple of hours." He hung up and called Patterson. "Patterson, are the guys still going through those recent missing persons files?"

"Yeah, we've pulled out five possible matches to the latest victim so far. Why, do you have something?"

"Bones looked at the x-rays. She says the girl was a gymnast, probably started young and was at a competitive level as a teenager."

"That's some partner you have there Booth,” Patterson replied, sounding impressed. “I'll let you know what we find out."

Booth hung up as Parker came running over. "Hey Dad, come throw the ball for me!" He tossed it to Booth, who smiled and ran after his son.

* * *

 

 

When Booth and Parker arrived back at Brennan's apartment after lunch, everything was quiet. Booth dropped Parker's overnight bag in the spare bedroom and then continued down the hall. He found Brennan in her office, typing steadily in front of the computer.

She looked up as he approached. "Oh, I didn't hear you come in."

He walked over and placed a kiss on top of her head. "What are you doing?"

"I'm working on my book. The last chapters are due next week, and I need to do some edits on the first chapter. My publisher wants me to read it at my book signing next week."

"You have a book signing next week? When?"

"Tuesday night. Why, is something wrong?"

"I'm just not sure it's a good idea to attend a public event like that, what with your serial-killing admirer still on the loose. I have profilers looking through all of your recent fan mail. Sweets thinks this guy might attend your lectures and other public appearances."

"Booth, I can't let this control my life. I have responsibilities and obligations."

"Yeah, so do I - namely keeping you alive." He could see she wasn't going to back down on this one, so he sighed and said, "Fine, but I'm having agents surround that place."

Brennan stifled a satisfied smile and hit a few keys to save her work. She stood up and asked, "Where's Parker?"

"He's out in the living room watching TV." They walked into the living room to find Parker standing in front of a glass display case filled with artifacts from Brennan's travels. He looked up as they approached. "Hey Bones! What's this?" He pointed to a short handled ceremonial knife with a long, slightly curved blade.

"It's a ceremonial knife, Parker. A long time ago they used it to..."

"Hey," Booth interrupted. "How's about we don't go into too much detail about the anthropologically disturbing stuff, okay Bones?"

She shot him a look. "I was just going to say that they used it during religious ceremonies, usually involving offerings of food to their gods."

"What about this? It looks like a little head, but it's not real is it?" His excited expression said he hoped it was real as he pointed out a shrunken head on the next shelf.

Brennan looked at Booth, who was vehemently shaking his head behind Parker. "Um, no it's not real," she answered.

"Oh." He looked disappointed for a minute and then said, "Hey, can I watch a movie?"

"Sure buddy," Booth said.

When Parker ran to get some DVDs from his bag, Brennan asked, "Am I going to have to lie to him about everything in my apartment?"

"If it involves shrunken heads, ritualistic sacrifices or cannibalism, then yes," he responded. "Look, if he goes back to Rebecca and tells her you keep real shrunken heads in your apartment, she might not let him come back until he's eighteen."

Brennan considered this and finally nodded. "I accept your logic."

They watched part of a movie and then Parker brought out his video games. They spent the next two hours playing games, the favorite being a car racing game.

As Brennan beat Booth for the second time in a row he told her, "You are a menace on the roads, you know that Bones? I should have your license revoked."

She looked smug as she said, "You're just upset that I beat you...again. Maybe I should drive the next time we're chasing down a suspect."

"Funny, Bones. There is no way you're ever driving my car after this. You nearly ran down three cars to get to the finish line."

"It's only a game, and I didn't actually hit anyone. I'm an excellent driver."

Booth snorted and Parker giggled. "What's so funny, Parker?" He asked as the little boy continued to giggle.

"Oh, nothing. Hey, what's for supper 'cuz I'm hungry."

"Well, we can order pizza. How does that sound?" Booth asked.

"Yeah, pizza!" Parker exclaimed.

Booth called in the order and asked for a side of fries with it. After the food arrived, they sat down at the table to eat. Brennan's eyes lit up when she saw the fries, but Booth slapped her hands away. "Nope, these are mine. You should tell me if you want your own," he teased her.

She sneaked a fry from under his hand. "All food must be shared; my apartment, my rules."

Parker suddenly started giggling again. "What's funny now?" Booth asked him.

Parker's eyes danced, but he shook his head and took a huge bite of pizza. Brennan looked at Booth, who shrugged.

When they finished eating, Brennan asked Parker, "Do you like peanut butter cookies? We can make some if you want to."

Parker said, "I love cookies. I'll eat any kind."

They cleaned up the table and put away the pizza. Brennan told Parker to wash his hands while she got out the ingredients. She showed him how to mix sugar with one egg and then add a cup of peanut butter. They used a large spoon to mix it all together as Booth looked on. He felt happier than he had in a long time, watching something as simple as Brennan helping his son make cookies. Anyone who thought she wasn't good with people should pay closer attention because he saw evidence, every day, that she was a much more caring person than most people gave her credit for. He reached around Parker and stuck his finger in the cookie dough.

"Booth!" Brennan slapped his hand away. "Wait until they're done."

Parker started giggling again. Booth looked at him. "What is so funny tonight, Parker? You've been laughing a lot."

Parker choked down his laughter as he answered his dad. "You and Bones remind me of Luke and Hailey in my class at school. They're always arguing and teasing each other, but Mom said it's because they really like each other. Does that mean you like Bones, Dad?"

Booth and Brennan looked at each other. Booth squatted down in front of Parker and said, "Of course I like Bones. She's my friend and my partner."

Parker rolled his eyes. "I don't mean like that. I mean like a girlfriend."

Booth ruffled Parker's hair. "How would you feel about it if Bones was my girlfriend?"

Parker looked thoughtful. "I think I'd like that. Maybe she could come to my show and tell one day. I'd be the coolest kid in the class if she brought a dead guy with her! And maybe Hodgins could lend her some bugs?"

"Yeah, we'll talk about that later, bub. Let's get these cookies finished okay?" Booth helped Brennan show Parker how to use the fork tines to make the waffle shape on the cookies before placing them in the oven.

An hour later, full of milk and cookies, Booth helped Parker get ready for bed and tucked him in. He walked down the hall to Brennan's bedroom to find her lying on the bed reading. He put some sweatpants and a T-shirt on in the bathroom and then joined her. She set the book down as he crawled across the bed, bracing his arms on either side of her as he kissed her. She shifted down a little and he lowered his weight beside her without breaking the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers from the back of his head and down to his shoulders. After a few minutes, he pulled back and said, "If we keep this up I won't be able to stop."

She ran a hand over his shoulder, trailing her fingers down his arm. "Do you still want to stop?"

He laughed. "No, but I do want us both to be sure what we're getting into if we do this." His expression was serious now. "There's no going back for me, Temperance. Once we go down this road, I'm committed. I just want to be sure you understand that."

She sighed and leaned back. "I think I understand. I don't necessarily like it, but I understand."

He propped himself on one elbow and ran his hand over her stomach, leaning down to place gentle kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. "I think we'll know when we're ready and..." he nipped the spot behind her ear, causing her to moan, "I promise it will be worth the wait." He kissed her cheek and settled down beside her as she switched off the lamp. He felt for her hand in the darkness, linking their fingers together. A feeling of contentment settled over him as he closed his eyes. "Sweet dreams, Bones," he whispered.

* * *

 

 

The weekend passed much too quickly for Booth, and the change in his relationship with Brennan added a new level of tension between them. While he enjoyed the emotional intimacy of sleeping beside her every night, physically it was wearing him down a little. Parker provided a distraction on Sunday, and after he was gone he and Brennan spent some time looking through the case notes and information on the lab's server. Brennan's team of interns, as well as Cam and Hodgins, had been working all weekend to discover information that could be used for identification.

Brennan was clicking through the reports and looked up when Booth sat beside her, handing her a cup of tea. "According to Hodgins' findings, I think the time range we're looking at for the murders goes back at least five years. Based on decomposition, three of the victims have been dead approximately a year or less, including the gymnast. I've asked Cam to have the interns prioritize identification from most recent, so they're working on tissue markers now for those three. Angela can probably have facial reconstructions by Tuesday."

Booth nodded. "Sweets said that the murders might have started after you began consulting on cases with the FBI, so the time frame fits that."

Brennan sat back. "So you think he's been watching me, following my career, and saw my participation with the FBI as an opportunity to get my attention? If that's true, why wait so long to expose his work?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that once we have details on the victims and cause of death, it will be another piece of the puzzle. If he waited, there had to be a reason." Booth reached over and picked up her hand, playing with her fingers. "He took your necklace and some of your hair." Though he knew she was aware of it, this was the first time they had discussed it.

She nodded. "Angela told me."

"Why do you think he would do something like that?"

Her brow wrinkled as she looked at him. "Isn't that a Sweets question?"

"I want to know what you think. If this guy is so obsessed with you, it occurred to me there might be some anthropological significance."

Her expression was thoughtful as she considered this. "The necklace is a personal item, and many cultures believe that personal items worn regularly by an individual retain some spirit of that person. Many serial killers retain keepsakes though, so it might not have any other meaning."

"Except that he didn't kill you before he took it." Booth pushed her hair back, his fingers skimming the area where her hair had been cut. It was like a physical manifestation of his inability to protect her and every time he saw it, he felt angry all over again. "What about the hair?"

"Traditionally, hair has been considered a symbol of power and vitality for hundreds, even thousands of years. The Christian Bible references it with the story of Samson, and in many Asian cultures loss of hair was equated with loss of power. It holds true for women as well, as many cultures saw women with long, thick hair as healthier and better able to bear children. These women were much more likely to marry well."

"Spirit and power, huh?" Booth shifted over beside her and lowered his head to kiss the place where the hair had been cut. She shivered slightly as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her and placing another kiss on her head. "I'm keeping Patterson in the loop on this case. He'll still report to me, but I think it's a good idea to have other people investigating who aren't as emotionally involved as I am. I can't be as objective as I'd like to be."

"So what does that mean?"

"No major changes. I'll be spending more time at the lab. I want to get the results as they come in. I'm going to tell Cam to make sure he's copied on all the information from the lab, and I want him to sit in on the meeting when I update Cullen. We'll have Sweets' profile tomorrow, and Stires emailed me a list of the undergrad students from that trip today. My guys are already running down all the names, I have agents going through your fan mail... sooner or later we'll turn up something we can use."

Brennan looked up at him. "We're good at what we do, Booth. We'll find him. We always do."

Booth smiled. "So what you're saying is, you have faith in us?"

She smiled back. "I really do."

* * *

 

Monday morning, Booth ushered Brennan into the Jeffersonian. "Okay, so I figured we can get an update from the squints, I'll head over to the Hoover for my meeting with Cullen and Patterson, and then I'll be back here before lunch."

"I don't need you to babysit me in the lab," Brennan pointed out. "Cam has tightened security, so I'm perfectly safe."

"Which reminds me that I want to ask Cam for a security update. I want to know exactly what security measures have been put into place." As they walked into the lab, they saw Hodgins standing with a group of interns on the forensic platform.

Hodgins looked up as they walked up the stairs. "Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked Brennan.

"Much better. What are you looking at?" she asked.

"These are the three victims killed in the last year," he responded. "The bones have been cleaned, so the interns have started noting bone markings." He waved a hand to indicate Wendell, Vincent, Fisher and Daisy, who had all looked up from their work. "Arastoo is with the new interns, overseeing them as they clean the other bones."

"What new interns?" Booth asked.

"Cam asked me to give her the names of three more senior grad students," Brennan explained. "Given the number of victims, as well as the urgency associated with serial killings, she thought we could use the additional help."

"Great, more squints," Booth muttered. He looked at Hodgins. "Is Cam in her office?"

When he nodded, Booth walked down the platform steps and around the corner to Cam's office. He found her sitting behind her desk, going through reports. "Cam, I want to talk to you about the tightened security."

She looked up as he sat. "And good morning to you too," she responded.

"Sorry," he said. He tried to get his agitation under control. "I'm a little on edge I guess, with Bones back in the lab and part of the investigation."

Cam nodded. "Understandable. She's doing better, I take it?"

"It's Bones, so she's already on the forensic platform overseeing things," he replied. "Now, the security?"

"We have extra guards located throughout the lab area, and per your request, one of them will be following her at all times within the Jeffersonian." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Good luck explaining that one when she finally notices."

Booth was hoping she wouldn't notice that right away. "What about packages, mail and visitors?"

"No visitors within the lab unless they've been vetted by the FBI, and all mail is being triple-checked. Seeley, trust me - she is perfectly safe here. I assume you're taking care of safety at home?" Her lips quirked up in amusement as she spoke.

Booth shot her a look. "Go ahead and laugh, but I'm having flashbacks to Epps every time I close my eyes at night. This psycho had his hands on her Camille... cut her hair, for God's sake." He took a deep breath and then looked back at Cam. "Sorry, I'm just wound a little tight today."

"Seeley, I know it's personal for you. It’s personal for all of us. We'll take care of her."

He nodded as he stood up. "What about these new interns. Have they been checked out?"

"All cleared by the FBI when they applied for internships with Dr. Brennan. I have copies of their files here if you want to take another look."

Booth took the files and walked toward the door. "Thanks, Cam. I'll be back after my meeting. Hopefully Bones will have something for me by then."

Cam watched him leave. She had a feeling it was going to be a long week.

* * *

Booth walked into the conference room where Cullen and Patterson were already seated. Sweets was right behind him.

"Booth, Agent Patterson tells me that you've requested that he remain on the case as acting AIC." Cullen's expression gave nothing away as he regarded Booth across the table.

"Yes sir, I did. I'll still be in charge of the investigation, and all information still goes through me with regard to Dr. Brennan and the lab, but I feel that it's a good idea to have an objective eye on this one, sir."

Cullen nodded. "Since it involves your partner, I tend to agree with you." He looked at Patterson. "I assume you don't have any objections?"

Patterson shook his head. "I'm happy to help in any capacity with this case."

"Okay then, let's get started," Cullen said. "What do we know about the property where the remains were found?"

"Not much," Booth replied. "It used to be a storage warehouse for a trucking company that went under, but it's been abandoned for twenty years and condemned for the last ten. The owner died a few years ago, and surviving relatives sold the property back to the city."

"What about IDs for the victims?"

"We believe we have an ID on the most recent victim," Patterson said as he handed both Cullen and Booth a copy of the file. "Anna Thompson, age twenty-one, missing two weeks. Dr. Brennan said the victim was a competitive gymnast, and that matches Thompson's file. She attended the University of Florida on a gymnastics scholarship before transferring to George Washington University last year. Her parents are local."

Booth looked up. "George Washington University?"

Patterson nodded. "She was an anthropology student." The look on his face showed the significance of that had not escaped him.

Booth couldn't shake off the cold feeling that crept through him. He looked at Sweets and asked, "That can't be a coincidence, can it?"

"I would say that's highly unlikely," Sweets admitted. "Serial killers tend to target their victims based on certain fixations. In my opinion, this killer is as obsessed with Dr. Brennan's anthropological work as he is with the woman herself. If he's targeting female anthropology students, it's a clear indicator of his interest in both. Given that, I would say it's very likely that the killer was an anthropology student himself at some point. It would explain his interest in Brennan's career."

"You don't think he's still a student?" Cullen asked.

"I think we'll find that he was unsuccessful in his quest to achieve his goals academically. Dropping out of school or being denied an internship are both stressors that could have led him to follow Dr. Brennan to Washington." He looked at Booth. "If the time frame of the murders is at least five years, I would look for some life changing event in the year prior to that."

"Which leads us back to the students who were on that trip to Guatemala," Booth said. He looked at Patterson. "Any luck running down those names yet?"

Patterson shook his head. "I'm still waiting on the report. There were five grad students, not counting Dr. Brennan, and four undergrads."

"What about the other victims?" Cullen asked Booth.

"The squints are working on the most recently deceased victims first. Two of them have been dead six months to a year, but that's really all I have so far. Bones is at the lab now, so she may have something more to go on by this afternoon. Meanwhile, we'll have facial reconstruction tomorrow."

Cullen nodded. "I saw the email from Dr. Saroyan outlining security measures they were taking at the Jeffersonian. Is there a detail assigned to Dr. Brennan's residence?"

Booth hesitated only for a moment before replying. "No sir. I'm staying with Bones for the time being. I've requested the detail during times when I can't be with her."

Cullen's expression was unchanged as he acknowledged this, as if Booth's answer was somehow expected. Booth looked at Sweets and Patterson - neither seemed surprised by this information, causing Booth to wonder if people here speculated on his relationship with Brennan as much as the squints did in the lab.

He pulled out the file Cam had given him, handing it to Patterson. "Bones has three new interns in the lab. Their information is in this file. I already have a file on the regular interns in my office. Given what we now know about this killer, I want a complete background on each of them going back six years."

Now Sweets seemed surprised. "You really think one of the interns working in the lab over the last year could be the killer?"

"Right now everyone is a suspect, Sweets, because I can't afford to be wrong on this."

When their meeting concluded, Booth, Patterson and Sweets joined the other agents in the conference room. Someone had constructed a timeline on the wall using copies of the articles they’d found in the basement. Anna Thompson’s photo had already been pinned to the timeline. It was only a small piece of the puzzle, but it was a start.


	7. Modus Operandi

Brennan stood with Daisy and Wendell as they examined the remains of the most recent victim. Wendell said, "I noted several healed fractures that I think are some type of sports related injury."

Brennan nodded approvingly. "You're correct, Mr. Bray. Did you arrive at a theory as to the type of activity that could cause these injuries?"

"Gymnastics?" He looked uncertain about his theory.

"Very good. The injuries to both wrists are the most obvious clues, but combined with the phalangeal fractures on the hands and metatarsal fractures of the feet, we can safely surmise that she was a gymnast. What about cause of death?"

"I found evidence of deep slashes on both the skull and the left forearm," Daisy explained eagerly. "I recognized the wound patterns from a paper you wrote about genocide victims in Central America, Dr. Brennan. They were caused by a machete striking first the skull, then the arm. The blade slashed the face from the left ear to the jaw. When the victim tried to defend herself, the blade struck the ulnar side of the forearm, shattering a bone in the wrist. The killer must have used maximum force to swing the blade because the slashes in the underlying bone were deep, and I found evidence of in-driven bone fragments."

"You're correct, Ms. Wick, but was that the cause of death?" Brennan asked, raising a brow.

Daisy shook her head. "No. Dr. Saroyan determined from the tissue damage that the throat was slashed. Based on hemorrhagic tissue, the victim was still alive at that point."

Brennan nodded at Daisy and Wendell. "Good work. What can you tell me about the other two victims?" She walked over to stand near Vincent and Fisher.

Vincent spoke first. "Both of these victims have been dead for a period of six months to a year. Based on soil samples and insect casings, Dr. Hodgins believes this victim," he gestured to the table nearest the gymnast, "was killed first, closer to six months ago, and the other female was killed several months after that."

Fisher spoke up in his depressingly droll manner. "The victim killed a year ago shows a healed fracture of the tibia. Based on bone remodeling, the injury occurred a year prior to death. The angle of the break suggests it could have been a skiing accident, more commonly known as a boot-top fracture. We didn't find anything that would help with identification of the other victim."

Brennan ran her practiced gaze over the bones. "What about cause of death?"

"We noted some deep slashes to the bones of both of these victims, but they’re not the same as the machete strikes to the bones of the other victim. The angle suggests a downward force, but what's more troubling are these odd indentations in the broken ribs. I've never seen anything like it," Vincent admitted.

Brennan picked up one of the fractured rib bones, running her gloved fingers carefully over the small indentations. "These marks are on both victims?" she asked.

Fisher nodded. "They appear to be in approximately the same location on each. We've all looked at them, but none of us has seen marks like that before."

Brennan nodded again and began examining the bones of both victims carefully, noting the cut marks and indentations. Finally she looked up. "Mr. Bray, were there any medieval battle axes among the weapons in evidence?"

Wendell nodded. "When Daisy and I were at the scene, I noticed at least two battle axes. They're probably with the other weapons that Hodgins was processing for particulates."

Brennan placed the bone she had been examining back on the table. "I need to see them." The interns followed as she made her way to the lab area that Hodgins utilized for his experiments. Hodgins looked up as they entered.

"Hodgins, I need to see the weapons brought in with evidence," Brennan said. "Specifically, the battle axes."

Hodgins stood up and walked to the back of the room where he had set up a long table. "Like this?" he asked, pointing to two axes on the end.

Brennan picked up one of the axes - the blade was sharp and slightly curved and had a long, studded handle. "This was the weapon used. Medieval soldiers could swing the weapon to cut their opponent, but it could also be held near the blade in order to strike someone with the studded handle." She demonstrated her point by swinging the handle towards Vincent, who jumped back nervously.

Wendell's eyebrows drew together. "So you've seen these injuries before?" he asked.

Brennan nodded slowly, her eyes still on the axe. "One of the first papers I published after I arrived at the Jeffersonian was on bone markings of medieval soldiers, and this was one of the weapons I studied and reported on."

Daisy looked a little stunned. "So the killer is recreating wound patterns in the victims based on studies that you've published?"

Brennan placed the axe back on the table. "I prefer not to jump to conclusions," she replied as she walked out.

Silence reigned over the lab for a few moments. Hodgins was the first to speak. Shaking his head, he went back to his microscope. "Well, Booth is going to be thrilled with this development. Who wants to tell him?" The interns scattered, as no one wanted that job. Hodgins sighed and picked up the phone. "Cam it is, then."

* * *

Booth walked into the Medico-Legal Lab and headed over to the forensic platform. He scanned his card and walked up the steps, looking around.

"Hey Wendell, have you seen Bones?" He walked over to join the interns still working on the remains.

Wendell looked up at Booth. "Um... I think she's with Arastoo and the other interns."

"So, do we have cause of death yet?" Booth clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "I need something to work with here."

Wendell looked at Daisy, who appeared flustered. "We have some theories... but you know, Dr. Brennan said we shouldn't jump to conclusions, and she's brilliant, so I think we should listen to her." She glared at the others, as if they were going to start spouting ridiculous theories at any moment.

Booth eyed her warily and then glanced over at Vincent and Fisher. "Okay... what about you, anything?"

Vincent cleared his throat and looked down. "I have nothing to say on the subject."

Fisher sighed deeply and added, "Even in its darkest form, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Booth looked around at them as if wondering what was going on. "Right - I'm just going to head over to Cam's office, where hopefully things are a little less weird."

He walked away shaking his head. The interns all breathed a sigh of relief.

"My nerves can't really handle this sort of intrigue," Vincent muttered.

Wendell shook his head. "Well brace yourself... I'm guessing one or both of them will be yelling by the end of the day."

Booth stuck his head in Hodgins' office. "Hey Hodgins, got any squinty details to pass on?"

Hodgins looked up. Like the others, he seemed a bit nervous. "Actually, I think Cam is up to date on everything. You should probably just check with her."

"What, no 'King of the Lab' revelations? Geez, what's with you guys today?" Booth shook his head and continued on to Cam's office.

Cam jumped when Booth called her name. "Seeley. How was your meeting at the Hoover?"

He sat down and ran a hand over the back of his neck. "We think we have an ID on the latest victim, we just need to wait for dentals and DNA." He handed over the file.

Cam opened the folder and quickly read through the information. As she scanned the page, her attention was caught by one detail. Her head shot up. "She was an anthropology student?" When Booth nodded, she said quietly, "I take it that's probably not a coincidence."

"Sweets says no, so there's a good chance that the killer is targeting female anthropology students as part of his fixation. Of course, we won't know for sure until we ID the other victims, but my gut's telling me Sweets is on the right track."

Cam's stomach sank. This made the news she had for him that much worse. "So, I believe we also have something to go on with cause of death."

"Yeah, the interns were all acting jumpy and Hodgins said I could get the details from you. What's going on?"

"Coward," Cam muttered.

Booth leaned forward. "What was that?"

She sighed. "Nothing. The latest victim showed signs of being cut down with a machete, but that wasn't the cause of death. The throat was slashed while the victim was still alive."

Booth sat back as he processed this. "A machete, huh? Like, say, a guerilla army might use in Central America?"

Cam nodded. She should have known it wouldn't take him long to make that leap. "The other two victims were cut and beaten with a medieval battle axe. Dr. Brennan said it appeared that the ribs broke in such a way that they could have punctured the lungs of both victims, so that's the likeliest cause of death."

Booth stood up and began pacing the room, thinking it through. "Okay, so we have a machete and a centuries old battle axe. What's the connection? Why use such different methods of killing his victims?"

Cam hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath. "Dr. Brennan published papers on both methods of killing and the resultant wound patterns on the bone."

Booth stopped dead in the center of the room. "So what we have here is a killer who's obsessed with Bones, targeting female anthropology students, and then basing his method of killing on research papers Bones has had published?" His voice rose with each word, the last few being heard clear across the lab.

Four heads popped up on the forensic platform. "I think he knows," Wendell commented dryly. He looked around at the others. "Batten down the hatches, people."

* * *

Brennan watched closely as the interns placed the recently cleaned bones of the other five victims on separate tables. Although she would never admit it, her earlier findings had left her feeling disconcerted. While she discouraged the others from jumping to conclusions, she herself now felt a sense of urgency with regard to her findings. For one thing, she knew the second Booth suspected she was further entangled in the killer's endgame that he was going to be unbearable. As if her thoughts had conjured his presence, Booth came striding into the lab.

"Bones, we need to talk," he said as he approached her.

Keeping her eyes on the interns, she replied, "It will have to wait until later this afternoon. Now that the other bones have been cleaned, I need to begin examining them."

"No, what you need to do is come with me. We'll eat lunch and talk about security measures for this week."

She shot him a suspicious look. "We've already talked about security measures, Booth. Unless you're with me, I have an FBI detail breathing down my neck and Cam has tightened security in the lab to a ridiculous level. I think one of the guards here is actually following me around, though he denied it."

"Yeah, well, get used to it. Now that I know the type of victims the killer is targeting, and how he's killing them, the only time you're going to be alone is in the bathroom." His expression said quite clearly that he was not kidding.

"What do you mean the type of victim? You can't have identified all of them yet. We don't have enough information."

"I know the most recently deceased was an anthropology student at George Washington University," he said grimly.

Brennan felt a queer tightening in her chest and it immediately made her defensive. "Booth, the fact that one victim was an anthropology student does not a conspiracy make. You're jumping to conclusions based on nothing more than your gut, and you know how I feel about that." She snapped on her rubber gloves and stalked over to one of the tables as Arastoo and the three newest interns looked on uncertainly.

Arastoo cleared his throat and said, "Um, maybe we should go and see if we can help Dr. Hodgins or the others." He began edging towards the exit as he spoke.

One of the new interns, Simon Dempsey, spoke up. "Dr. Brennan, I can stay and help if you like. In fact, I'd be happy to get lunch for you if you don't want to leave." The look he shot Booth indicated he didn't like the agent's attitude toward his mentor.

Before Brennan could respond, Booth stepped forward and said, "Nobody asked for the opinions of the squints-in-training, so move along pal." Arastoo and the other two interns left immediately. Simon hesitated briefly before caving under the force of Booth's glare and following the others.

Brennan turned to face Booth. "Do you feel better now that you've proven your alpha male status? Perhaps you'd like to walk the perimeter of the lab and mark your territory." All of the fear and uncertainty of the last few days suddenly blossomed into anger and she was more than ready to go toe to toe with him.

"I'm not getting into some anthropological argument with you,” he snapped back. “Cam told me how the three most recent victims died, and that is not a coincidence. Neither is the fact that one of the victims was an anthropology student."

She stepped forward, her voice rising. "I deal with facts, Booth, not conjecture. When we have all of the facts, I'll discuss it logically, but I'm not going to encourage your wild imaginings."

His voice rose to match hers. "Wild imaginings? Are you kidding me? I don't need to be a pulp fiction author to get a clear picture of what's going on here. Burying your head in the sand is not going to make it go away, Bones."

They were nose to nose now, and Brennan poked her finger into his chest as she fired back at him. "If by burying my head in the sand you mean I wait for all the facts before arriving at logical conclusions then yes, that's what I do. Unlike you, treating your gut like it's some infallible crystal ball. And I am _not_ a pulp fiction author." She emphasized her last point by poking him again.

Booth reached up to grab her hand. As angry as he was at that moment, he was suddenly overcome by another urge. He pulled her close and kissed her, tangling the fingers of his hand in her hair. She stiffened against him briefly before returning the kiss with a passion that left both of them shaken.

Outside the lab the interns were joined by Cam, Hodgins and Angela.

"Are they still going at it?" Angela asked. "I could hear them all the way at the entrance."

Arastoo shrugged. "They were arguing quite vehemently, but now I can't hear anything."

Cam sighed. "This is going to be the week from hell for all of us if they can't reach some sort of agreement on this case." She turned to Angela and Hodgins. "I say the three of us go in and stage an intervention."

Hodgins backed up. "Hey, leave me out of it. Dr. Brennan makes Booth crazy in a way I want nothing to do with."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll go." She walked forward confidently and cracked open the door. She paused for a moment, then shut the door and turned back to the others. Her expression was one of shocked amusement as she said, "Well, they're not arguing anymore. I wouldn't recommend that we bother them right now though."

"What are they doing?" Hodgins asked curiously.

Angela began walking back to her own office. "Let's just say they apparently found a more interesting way to settle their disagreements."

* * *

 

Brennan knew they needed to stop, that they couldn't do this in the lab, but when he pushed her against the edge of the table and leaned into her she completely lost her ability to think straight. Her body burned wherever it came into contact with his. His hands reached up and pulled at the hair she had pulled back into a knot - it came loose and cascaded over his fingers. One hand remained in her hair while the other moved down her back and settled on her hip, pulling her closer against him as he pressed his hips into hers.

His lips left hers and scattered little kisses against her neck, leaving a burning trail in their wake. She gasped at the sensation, pulling him closer as she bent her head to press her lips against his throat. His body stiffened, and he took a step back as he drew a shaky breath. Brennan continued to lean against the table as she tried to organize her thoughts. How her anger had turned to passion so quickly was beyond her comprehension. It was further evidence that the feelings between them were volatile and completely outside her previous experience. It was scary, but it was also exciting.

Booth spoke first. "Bones, I'm sorry that I came in here the way that I did. It's just... I don't know how to do this without making it personal."

Brennan looked at him. He was just as affected by what happened between them as she was, and the fact that she had that much power over him was a little heady. "What do you mean personal?"

"The fact that the killer is so fixated on you makes this personal, and I can't ignore that. It's keeping me awake at night. If I make a mistake in this investigation and he gets to you..." he paused for a moment and then continued, "I couldn't live with that. I know this case is making me a little crazy, but I just want you to understand why."

She considered his words, realizing that she understood what he was saying. When he had been taken by the Gravedigger, she knew she would do anything to get him back. For the first time, the rules didn’t matter to her. Logic didn’t matter. All that mattered was finding him alive. While this wasn't the same situation, she could see where he was coming from and she couldn't fault him for his concern.

Brennan sighed and reached for his hand. She looked at their entwined fingers for a moment before lifting her eyes to his. "I understand what you're saying. I guess I'm under a little more stress than I've admitted to. I don't like jumping to conclusions, but I recognize that a lot of the evidence points to the killer having some sort of obsession with my work. However, we don't have any evidence that he's going to come after me personally. He had his chance in that basement and he didn't take it."

"Maybe he wants to give you time to review his work. Sweets said that it's as much about that as it his personal interest in you. Maybe he had no intention of attacking you, but when he was alone with you in the basement he just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have contact with you. Maybe he got off on taking something from you."

"That's a lot of maybes, Booth."

"Look, Bones, it's true that we don't know exactly what the killer wants at this point. But the fact that he took your necklace and your hair... that's personal, and I have to assume he's dangerous to you. It's the only way I can make sure you're safe." He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the light fragrance of her hair. "I just have to make sure you're safe. Can you understand that?"

She thought she had never felt safer than in that moment with him. "I can understand that," she replied softly. They stood silently for a few more moments, both enjoying the intimacy of just being together.

Finally Booth stepped back, running his hands from her shoulders down her arms, twining his fingers with hers. "So am I forgiven for my alpha male display? You should know for future reference that every time you go all anthropological on me it just turns me on." He grinned at her charmingly, and she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips.

"You should really be apologizing to my interns. I think you scared them," she teased him.

Booth snorted. "Please - that one runt offering to bring you lunch was a joke, and he's lucky I didn't plant my foot in his ass to help him out the door."

* * *

 

 

Angela and Hodgins were on the forensic platform with the interns when Booth and Brennan walked down the hallway and into her office.

Hodgins looked at Angela. "Well, it appears the fireworks are over."

Angela smiled. "Oh, I kind of doubt that. I think the fireworks are just starting." They all watched as Booth helped her with her coat, then put his arm around her as they left for lunch. "This is a new stage of their relationship, so there are bound to be a few minor volcanic eruptions."

Hodgins laughed. "Angela, what rained down on Pompeii was minor compared to what's going on between these two."

The new interns all looked at each other. Hannah Fraser cleared her throat and asked, "So, Dr. Brennan is involved with Agent Booth? Because that would explain a lot about what happened earlier. I was a little worried about anger issues in the lab."

Simon's eyebrows drew together. "Surely not. I mean... she's a brilliant scientist and he's basically a cop. What could they possibly have to talk about?"

Wendell spoke up now. "Hey, Booth is a good guy and he cares a lot about Dr. Brennan. And don't write him off like he's just some cop. I don't bet, but I'd lay money down on the fact that he's a lot smarter than you think he is."

Daisy nodded. "That's true. Lance says that he likes to be underestimated. I've seen him work and he's really quite smart. Not as smart as Dr. Brennan, but no one's as smart as her, really. And I saw them at the hospital. They were sweet together. Wendell, you saw them - weren't they sweet?" She sighed. "Agent Booth is really quite handsome, too. He has such nice shoulders..." her voice trailed off as she realized everyone was staring at her. "Not as handsome as Lance though. Really, Booth's shoulders pale in comparison." She went back to examining a bone from the table in front of her.

Hannah tucked her light brown hair behind her ears as she looked at Arastoo. "So can we go back to examining the remains? We still have a lot of work to do."

Chris Walker agreed. "Yeah, no offense, but I didn't take this internship so I could speculate on my boss's love life." He smirked at Simon. "Tough break since you're so into her, but you didn't really think you had a shot, did you?"

Simon's ears turned red, and he pushed his dark framed glasses up his nose. "It's not like that, Chris. Dr. Brennan is my mentor, and I just thought she deserved a little more respect than she was getting from that... Agent Booth," he muttered.

Hodgins shook his head. "Man, if you value your life, remember he's armed and sniper trained. After the way he looked at you earlier, I think I'd just try to keep my mouth shut from now on."

Hannah patted Simon's arm sympathetically. "Come on. Let's eat lunch before we get started."

The three new interns left the platform and Hodgins sighed. "Newbies."


	8. Brain and Heart

Booth looked up from his paperwork as Patterson walked into his office on Tuesday afternoon.

"Booth, I've run down all the names on the list that Dr. Stires gave you. There were six grad students, including Dr. Brennan, and four undergrads on the trip." He handed a file to Booth, who opened it and began scanning the list.

Booth said, "Grad students - looks like four of them completed their doctorate."

Patterson nodded. "Adam Barry dropped out after the first year. He's working at a museum back in his hometown. Between his job, wife and kids, he's pretty much accounted for over the last six years. Same with Leslie Casey; she's a professor at a university in California, married with two kids. Kyle Loggin and Brent Fenelli have both been on digs out of the country during most of the last five years. I've got someone verifying dates, but we can probably rule them out too."

"What about Perry Keisner? According to Stires he had some personal issues with Brennan."

"He lives in Arlington and works for the Smithsonian, specifically the National Museum of the American Indian. We've asked him to come in and answer some questions."

Booth nodded. "Let me know when you set that up. I want to be there. What about the undergrads?"

"I think we can rule out three of them. Lisa Quinn switched majors after that trip, said what she saw in Guatemala was too much for her. She's a middle school teacher in Oklahoma now. Karen Patterson is in an internship program with the Museum of Natural History in New York. Same with Robert O'Rourke - apparently the two of them have been dating since their trip to Central America, and they applied for internships together. The last guy though, not much I can tell you yet."

Booth continued to read through the file. "Daniel Swinton. Says here he dropped out of the grad program at Northwestern six years ago?"

Patterson nodded. "I called Dr. Stires and he remembered Swinton. He told Stires he had to leave school for financial reasons. As an undergrad student he had a 4.0 GPA, but his grades slipped during his first year as a grad student and he lost his scholarship."

Booth sat back in his chair. "That would track with Sweets' profile. Do we know where he is now?"

"Last known address was an apartment off campus. There were two names on the lease, so we're tracking down the roommate now. We're also running financials, so I'll let you know if anything pops."

Booth sighed. "Yeah thanks. What about the list of Brennan's interns I gave you?"

"They all check out. Federal backgrounds were run on all of them since they work with evidence at the Medico-Legal Lab. As far as activity in the last six years, none of them has been local the whole time. Some did their undergrad work out of state, some have been in and out of the country on trips for field experience. There's nothing suspicious and we can account for their movements during the time of the murders. Once we have IDs on all the victims we can cross reference specific dates, but I'd say we can rule them out." Patterson stood up.

"It was a long shot, but I had to consider it based on what we know about the killer." Booth stood as well, stretching his long frame. "What about the book signing tonight?"

"I've assigned Wheeler and Mathison. If you want I can come too," Patterson offered.

"Since I'll be there, two will probably be fine," Booth said.

The two men walked to the break room for coffee. Patterson said, "You're not expecting a specific problem, then?"

Booth poured coffee as he shook his head. "She always has a few nut job fans, but it's usually nothing that her publisher can't handle with normal security. My concern is that Sweets' believes the killer could become bolder about making direct contact with her. A public event like this would be ideal."

"Any confirmation yet on the other two most recent victims?" Patterson asked.

"We should have facial reconstructions before the end of the day. Bones and the interns are still determining cause of death for the other five, as well as anything that could help with ID."

"How is Dr. Brennan holding up with this case? It's freaking bizarre, this killer copying her work as a method of offing his victims. That's the kind of thing that would keep most people awake at night."

Booth's laugh lacked any real amusement. "Bones doesn't really respond to things like most people. She's basically humoring me with her acceptance of all the extra security precautions, but at least we're not arguing about it today. If our theory holds up with the identification of all eight victims, she'll give it some credence, but until then..."

Patterson shook his head. "No offense, but I don't envy you that part of this investigation. There are few men in this building who don't find her at least a little intimidating." He smiled and clapped Booth on the shoulder as he walked out of the break room.

Booth headed back to his office to finish up for the afternoon. He still didn't like the idea of Brennan attending the bookstore event tonight. The killer could be anyone, anywhere. It reminded him too much of his sniper days - people going about their everyday lives, following a routine, never realizing they were being hunted until the moment of death. Brennan might not think there was a viable threat, but he knew better.

While Brennan's independent nature was one of the things he admired and loved about her, it had its drawbacks. He thought about their argument the day before and the passion that had erupted between them. He was finding it more and more difficult to rein himself in where she was concerned, especially considering that they were living together at the moment. He had told her that he wanted her to be sure of her feelings because there was no going back once they embarked on a relationship in every sense of the word. While that was true, he knew if he was being honest with himself that he had already reached the point of no return.

Booth glanced at his watch and then turned off his computer and left his office. As he drove to the Jeffersonian, he thought about how domestic their situation was becoming. He picked her up from work and they got takeout or cooked something together at home. There was that word again -  _home_. Her apartment, even her bed, was beginning to feel like home to him. After their argument, they had both been careful not to broach any touchy subjects. They spent a quiet evening together, watched a little TV, talked, and finally went to bed together. He found himself wondering how long the peace would hold.

* * *

 

_He watched the man get out of the SUV and walk around to open the door for Temperance Brennan. He felt a surge of dislike. He knew who he was of course - Special Agent Seeley Booth, her partner. They were famous in the D.C. area, both for their work and because of the speculation regarding their relationship with each other. It was widely thought that Agent Booth was the inspiration for the character Special Agent Andrew Lister._

_He continued watching as Agent Booth put his arm around Temperance. He wasn't worthy of her, anyone could see that. He had so been looking forward to tonight and the chance to see her at the book signing event. He read the words of her books so carefully, imagining that she spoke to him in some personal manner. But Agent Booth's presence here was ruining everything. He had imagined talking to Temperance, being so witty that she would forget everyone else in the room. She would see that he was perfect for her, that they were meant to be together. She would see what he had known for several years._

_He opened the bag on the seat next to him and stroked the steel barrel of his gun with trembling fingers. He felt nervous now. Perhaps tonight wasn’t the best time for what he had planned, but there would be other opportunities. He picked up today's newspaper and again read the article about the trial of Matt Banfield, who had allegedly murdered his wife's sister, fearing discovery of their affair. Temperance was set to testify at the trial tomorrow and he planned to be there. Turned out Special Agent Booth wasn't really all that special - he had been following Temperance's schedule closely for several months now. He would have his moment._

* * *

 

Cam was in Angela's office on Wednesday morning when she heard loud voices coming from the front of the lab. She looked at Angela and raised her eyebrows. "I don't believe this - again?"

Angela stood up and headed toward the door. "This should be interesting."

The two women walked towards the front of the lab, where they could hear Booth and Brennan arguing in her office. They stopped in the doorway as Booth said, "Fine, just be mad about it then! I did what I thought was necessary at the time, and I'd do it again in the same situation."

"This is my life, Booth, my career! I realize that as an alpha male personality you feel the need to protect those around you, but I am not helpless. I can take care of myself," she retorted.

"Sure you can, as evidenced by your decision to visit a crime scene, at night,  _by yourself_ , which resulted in your second trip to the hospital in as many days! It's your life I'm trying to save here, Bones. If I need to throw my alpha male weight around to do that, then get used to it," he shot back.

Brennan opened her mouth to argue further, but Cam interrupted. "Hey, timeout! What exactly is the problem today?" She stood with her hands on her hips, feeling very much like an elementary school teacher chastising a couple of naughty students.

"Booth is behaving like a heavy handed, boorish Neanderthal!" Brennan threw him an outraged look as she stomped over to her desk.

"Despite being a genius, Bones can't seem to grasp the simple concept that a serial killer is stalking her," he said shortly.

"Whoa!" Cam intervened again. Her frustration was mirrored by Angela, who just shook her head. "Seriously, do I need to call Sweets? Because I will if you two can't calm down."

Now they both turned on her. "Sweets!" they scoffed, rolling their eyes at each other.

Angela said wryly, "Nice to know they can still agree on one thing."

"Bones is mad at me because of a little problem at her book signing last night," Booth explained. "One of her fans followed us out and I felt the need to step in."

"Step in? Booth, you tackled him!"

"You tackled a fan at her book signing?" Angela tried not to laugh. She looked at Cam, whose lips were also twitching at this mental image.

"My publicist said it was a Britney Spears level publicity nightmare in the book world. I don't know exactly what that means, but apparently it's bad," Brennan said. "Reporters were still around, and according to the call I got this morning, there's a photo in at least one newspaper. The man could also sue."

"There's a photo?" Angela and Cam said together. Cam made a mental note to Google the incident and find out which newspaper.

"That was just the end of the evening. During the event itself, he stood over me and glared at everyone."

"Not everyone," Booth protested. "Is it my fault that your fans are a bunch of nuts? It was like the state mental hospital sponsored a field trip or something. I think half of them are stalking you online."

"Booth, they're fans of my books. My career as a novelist depends on securing their interest and keeping it. It's bad enough that the FBI presence last night was so obvious, but then you tackled that poor man who only wanted me to autograph a book he left in his car!"

"Bones, he came running up while he was reaching into his jacket. I thought he was going for a weapon, so I just reacted."

Brennan threw her hands up. "He was reaching for a pen! We're just lucky that he's such a loyal fan and therefore seems to be very understanding about the whole situation. As it is, now everyone is wondering why I needed FBI protection at a book signing."

"If I was your publicist, I know how I'd handle it. I'd just spin it like the real life Andy Lister protecting his partner and play up the personal relationship angle," Angela said.

"I do not want to be gossip column material, and our personal relationship is not common knowledge," Brennan told her.

"I'd say it is after last night," Cam commented.

Brennan stood up and crossed the room to put on her lab coat. "I have work to do," she said crossly.  

  
Booth reached out and caught her hand as she walked to the door. "I'm sorry if you're upset, but I can't honestly say I'm sorry that I did what I did. I would do anything to keep you safe." His eyes were serious as he looked at her.

Brennan felt some of her anger fade. She knew this case was worrying him to the point of sleeplessness. "I just need some time to clear my head this morning. I want to work, I need to concentrate, and it's harder when you're hovering.”

He sighed. "Fine. Cullen and Patterson are coming over here for a conference with all the squints after lunch. I'll come back before lunch, bring some takeout, and after the meeting we'll head to court."

Angela felt herself getting a little emotional as she watched them. The way they looked at each other gave her goose bumps. After Booth left, she looked at Brennan and said, "You know, I expected the sexual tension to drop a little when you two finally got together."

"Booth and I aren't having sexual intercourse yet," Brennan replied as she picked up a folder from her desk.

"You're kidding, right?" Cam asked in disbelief.

"Seriously, sweetie, I can draw up some scenarios on the Angelator if you two need ideas," Angela offered.

"Not my idea, I can assure you," Brennan replied. "Booth said that we should make sure that the shift in our relationship is a permanent one before we consummate it. I guess he needs to be certain of things."

Angela could hear the note of uncertainty in Brennan's voice and realized she didn't understand the reason for Booth's decision. "Booth loves you. It's not himself he's unsure of."

"Booth has never mentioned the word love before," Brennan said quietly.

"Angela’s right, Dr. Brennan. He loves you, but he’s afraid that he’s going to push you into something you’re not ready for. You should tell him how you feel."

"I don't know how I feel. Not with precise certainty. Emotions are vague and messy. I can't measure feelings the way I would facts in order to reach a logical conclusion."

"And this is exactly what I mean, Bren. It's okay to admit that love scares you - it's not okay to run away from it, though. He deserves better than that from you,” Angela said firmly.

Brennan moved some folders around on her desk and then looked at Cam and Angela. "It's confusing to me because we're so different. I'm a brain person and he's a heart person. Sometimes I'm not sure how the two can co-exist in the same space."

Cam smiled at her. "And yet the human body manages it just fine every day, because no matter how different they are, they're still connected. One can't exist without the other. You and Booth are the same, you know."

Brennan thought about this for a moment. "Separate but connected?"

Angela put her arm around Brennan as they left her office. "Let me know if you change your mind about the Angelator. My offer stands."

* * *

 

_He watched Agent Booth walk to his car and drive away from the Jeffersonian. He had seen them this morning too, leaving Temperance's apartment. It was clear that he was living with her - such a disappointment that her standards were apparently so low._

_Of course, it appeared they had been arguing again. After the events at her book signing he had also seen them arguing. The big agent was clearly very protective of her which posed a problem. He was beginning to suspect that he wouldn’t get an opportunity to speak to her alone. But then, problems always had solutions._

_He picked up today's paper and the continuing coverage of the Banfield trial. Yes, problems always had solutions. Agent Booth wouldn't be a problem much longer._

* * *

 

Booth headed back into the lab several hours later carrying a takeout bag. He was walking toward Brennan's office when Angela intercepted him. When he saw the news article she was holding, he suppressed a groan.

"So Booth," she began, holding the article up with the accompanying photo facing him. "Exactly where did you learn this particular tackling move? It doesn't really look FBI approved."

"Funny Angela - go ahead and laugh. Like I told the other agents, that's a very bad angle. It's not what it looks like, it's how the photographer took the picture."

"I have extras, if you need a copy," she offered with a grin.

"Thanks, but there are about fifteen copies up between my office and the break room," Booth muttered as he walked past her and continued on to Brennan's office. He walked in to find her sitting on the couch flipping through x-rays. He sat down and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. "I have your favorite pear and walnut salad in that bag."

Brennan looked over at him, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "So is this officially the end of our fight?"

"I'm not mad anymore. Are you?" he asked her.

She shook her head and then leaned into him with a sigh. "Angela thinks we're fighting more because we're sexually frustrated. I'm beginning to think she might be right about that."

Booth played with her hair for a moment. "Are you saying you're ready to take the next step? Because I am definitely open to that discussion if you'd like to have it tonight." He ran his hand down her arm, pulling her closer. She looked up at him as he leaned down to kiss her.

She pulled back after a moment and said, "I am ready to talk about things, if you are." Her expression was serious and slightly wary, and it tugged at his heart.

"You look worried," he said softly. "There's nothing to worry about, I promise."

She reached over to pick up his hand as she spoke. "I'm not good at these types of conversations, Booth. You probably know that better than anyone."

He tilted her chin up until their eyes met. "That's the point - I know you, Temperance. And as long as you're being honest with me about how you feel, the rest we can work through."

Brennan put her head back on his shoulder and felt herself relaxing for the first time all morning. When he was here, she could believe that.

When they finished eating, they joined the others for the meeting in Cam’s office. Extra chairs had been brought in, as well as a small table, but it was still a tight fit.

"Thanks for allowing us to have the briefing here at the lab," Cam said to Director Cullen. "We're working around the clock on this one."

Cullen nodded. "I recognize the importance of your people keeping their attention focused, so I’m willing to do my part."

Cam turned to Angela. "Why don't you start?"

Angela passed two folders over to Cullen. "We have positive identification on the other two victims killed in the last year."

Booth spoke up, hitting the highlights. "Melissa Scott, twenty-three, reported missing by her boyfriend six months ago. She was also an anthropology student at George Washington University. Parents are dead, no other surviving relatives. Next victim was Tara Splenowski, twenty, reported missing by her parents a year ago."

Cullen looked up from the folder. "The third victim's parents are local, but it says here she attended college out of state."

"She was taking a semester off in order to check into transferring to a local university," Booth replied. "According to her parents, she had taken several anthropology courses and was interested in the program at George Washington."

"And you think that's the key?" Cullen's expression remained impassive as he looked at Booth.

"Yes sir. It fits the profile Sweets gave us, and given his interest in Dr. Brennan's work, three anthropology students out of eight victims so far can't be a coincidence."

"I tend to agree with you - that would be a hell of a coincidence." He looked at Patterson. "I think it's time we had some agents interviewing faculty and students at the university. Pass the victims' photos around, see what people can remember."

Patterson nodded. "I've already set up some interviews with faculty members."

Cullen looked back at Booth. "What other evidence do we have at this point? Any luck tracking any of the weapons found?"

"Not much, sir. I have agents trying to track sales of the weapons. The problem is that they're authentic replicas, not antiques or particularly rare in any way. Most can be purchased online, but going through the records is going to take time."

"Resources and manpower are at your disposal on this one Booth. Let me know what you need and I'll make it happen. Anything else?" He looked around the table.

Hodgins spoke up. "I found some type of cellulose in the soil from the basement. The writing was faded, but Angela is working on it to see what we can get from it. It might be a receipt of some sort, but it's hard to say."

Brennan looked at Booth as she said, "My interns are still noting bone markings from the other five victims. Three were in the area of collapse, so distinguishing between antemortem, perimortem and postmortem bone trauma is going to be more difficult. We should be ready to begin facial reconstruction on the other two by tomorrow. I’ll get you my report as soon as I can."

"We're going to find this guy, Bones. The biggest mistake he ever made was turning this into a game of wits because I'd bet on you - on this team - every time."

His smile prompted one of her own as she looked around the table.  _He's right_ , she thought. As a team, they really were unbeatable.

* * *

 

It was late afternoon when Brennan finished testifying for the Banfield trial. With court adjourned for the day, it seemed everyone was leaving the courthouse at the same time. Booth put an arm around Brennan to shield her from the mad dash as they pushed through the doors and stepped out into the cool breeze. He noticed her shivering slightly and pulled her closer. "Are you cold?"

"Not really - more tired than anything else I think," she admitted. "Between the book signing last night, studying the remains all day and then court... it's just been a long day."

"I think what you need is a long bath and a glass of wine to help you relax, followed by one of my world famous back rubs. If you're really good I'll throw in a foot rub too," he teased her.

"Only a foot rub?" Brennan stopped suddenly and turned toward him. "I..."

The rest of what she was about to say was lost amid the gunshots ringing across the open space of the courthouse lawn. Booth reacted instantly, shoving Brennan down and pulling his weapon. He immediately noted the direction the shots had come from and saw a man in a hoodie turn and run towards the parking lot. Cursing, Booth started to follow but he wasn't the only one who had seen the shooter. Several sheriffs' deputies took off in pursuit. Booth knelt down to check on Brennan. She was curled on her side, clutching her arms inward. Booth felt panic slice through him as he reached down to turn her carefully. "Bones, are you hurt?"

Brennan felt cold, as if her body had turned to ice. Through the dull roaring in her ears she could hear Booth speaking to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. As she tried to sit up, she realized her hands felt sweaty and she wiped them on her pants. It was when she saw the red streaks left behind that she realized it was blood.


	9. A Strong Foundation

 

The scene at the courthouse following the shooting was chaotic, and to Brennan it passed in a blur. She was aware of Booth shouting orders. Then he was kneeling beside her as he applied pressure to the wound on her arm. Medics arrived quickly and she winced as they examined her.

"This is a through-and-through," one of the medics stated. "It's hard to say if it hit the bone though - looks close. You'll need to have it checked out at the hospital."

Brennan looked up at Booth. "I don't want to ride in the ambulance." She wasn't sure why that was so important to her right now, but it was.

Booth looked at the medic and asked, "It doesn't matter if I drive her or if she goes by ambulance, right?"

"I don't think it will make a difference. The bleeding has slowed down, so the most important thing now is to have it x-rayed."

Booth helped her stand, careful to keep pressure on her wound, and helped her walk to the car. He buckled her in carefully and walked around quickly to get in.

Brennan closed her eyes as Booth sped to the hospital with his siren on. The fatigue seemed to seep into her very bones with each passing minute, and she smiled at such a silly thought. She turned her head to look at Booth. His jaw was clenched so hard it looked painful, and she knew that he was blaming himself for what had happened.

As if reading her mind he suddenly said, "I'm sorry."

"Booth, this is not your fault. None of this is your fault - you can't take responsibility for every aspect of my personal safety. It's not rational."

"Protecting you is my job, Bones. If I had been paying better attention..."

She cut him off. "You could have what? Stepped in front of another bullet?"

"If that's what it took, then yes."

"And what about Parker? The truth is that if one of us had to be shot I'd rather it be me, Booth. You have responsibilities to people that I don't have, and the hole you would leave in their lives is one that could never be filled. I don't have anyone I can say the same of." While it hurt to say that, it was the truth.

The anger and pain in his voice were unmistakable as he said, "Yes you do - you have me, so don't ever say that. If anything ever happened..." he paused, swallowing hard before he could continue. "If anything ever happened to you I would never be able to fill the hole it would leave in my life. Never. Don't ever forget that."

Brennan was surprised by the vehemence of his words, and she recalled her conversation with Angela and Cam. Maybe he’d never used the word love, but he was making himself clear in every way possible without saying it. Even she could see that now.

When they arrived at the hospital, she was ushered to a room immediately, much to Booth’s relief. Dr. Ames was slightly incredulous to see her again so soon. "Dr. Brennan, I'd say it's nice to see you again, but..." he trailed off, shaking his head as he examined the wound on her upper arm. “Other than the pain, how are you feeling?”

"I was suffering symptoms of shock earlier, but those symptoms have decreased in the last thirty minutes. I'm tired, but I was tired before I was shot, so it may be unrelated." Her voice was completely matter of fact as she spoke.

Dr. Ames didn’t seem to know how to respond to that, and Booth couldn’t help grinning as he walked out to order the x-rays.

He stroked Brennan’s hair gently and rubbed her uninjured shoulder. "I'm not sure he's ever heard anyone sound so completely rational about being shot."

She leaned against Booth carefully and closed her eyes. "I'm fairly certain my arm is not fractured, but it's possible there is some minor bone chipping."

"How can you tell the difference?" At the look she shot him, he shook his head and said, "Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to for a minute."

After they took her back for x-rays, Booth stepped into the waiting room and called Patterson. "Tell me they caught this bastard."

"They caught him," Patterson replied. "I'm on my way down to bring him in now. From what the deputy said he intended to hit you, not Dr. Brennan."

Booth's voice was hard. "Go ahead and take the report, but I plan to have a conversation with him tomorrow." He ended the call, barely restraining the urge to hit something. Thinking about the incident made him furious all over again, and he resumed his pacing in an attempt to burn off some of the nervous energy coursing through him. After a few minutes he felt calmer and returned to Brennan's exam room just as she was returning from the x-ray department.

A nurse brought some juice for her to drink and when Booth saw she was about to refuse it, he took the juice and forced it into her hand. "You need to drink this, Bones. Between the adrenaline rush and shock, your body needs the sugar."

She took it without arguing and was just finishing the bottle when Dr. Ames returned. "It appears you were correct, Dr. Brennan; minor bone chipping but no fracture." Knowing from his previous dealings with her that she would want to see for herself, he put the films up on the board and allowed her to look at them.

"So no sling and no stitches?" Booth asked.

Dr. Ames picked up Brennan's file as he answered, "She can leave as soon as we've wrapped her wound. She should ice it tonight to help with any swelling, and I'll give her a prescription for the pain and swelling as well. However, she should be on the mend in a couple of days."

After her arm was wrapped up, Booth once again left her to deal with the insurance paperwork while he filled her prescriptions. Soon they were on their way back to Brennan's apartment. It was only 7:30, but it seemed much later than that. Brennan closed her eyes as Booth drove, feeling the sense of heaviness that accompanied exhaustion.

Once they were in her apartment, Brennan walked back to her bedroom and sat on her bed. She wanted to take a bath but her body wouldn't cooperate with the idea of walking the short distance to the bathroom. Booth followed her in and sat next to her.

"I'll run a bath for you if you still want to take one," he offered.

"I do, I'm just trying to talk my legs into making the trip to the bathroom," she said with a slight smile.

Booth stood and leaned down to pick her up carefully, ignoring her halfhearted protests. He carried her to the bathroom and helped her sit on the edge of the tub while he ran the water and added a little of her favorite bath oil. He walked back into her bedroom and returned with a set of pajamas and then kissed her head. "I'm going to get dinner ready. Call me if you need help, all right?"

When the door closed Brennan undressed and sank gratefully into the warm, scented water. She leaned back, careful to keep her bandaged upper arm out of the water. She could feel the tension in her body gradually dissipating while a different kind of tension gripped her mind. She knew she couldn't keep avoiding the conversation that Booth wanted to have about their relationship. She kept hearing conversations from the past week - they played in her mind over and over again, an unending loop. Max, Cam and Angela all thought Booth loved her. Rachel had implied that she saw something between them, as had Michael. But was it love? She knew Booth believed in love, and she was ready to admit she wanted it. She wanted it to be possible with him.

* * *

 

Booth let Brennan take her time in the bathtub as he prepared a simple vegetable stir fry for dinner. She had been uncharacteristically quiet all evening and it worried him a little bit. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on in her head and a part of him still wondered if she would decide to abandon what was between them before it even began. He knew she had been thinking things over - their brief conversation on the subject earlier today told him that much. He also knew she had concerns and misgivings; although she had told him she wouldn't run, he was still waiting for the moment when her fear won out over the possibility of more.

When dinner was ready he walked back to her bedroom to check on her. He found her dressed and lying on the bed with her eyes closed. He hesitated in the doorway for a moment before crossing to the bed and sitting next to her.

She opened her eyes and said, "It's okay, I wasn't asleep. I just wanted to rest for a minute."

He reached out to lightly caress her cheek, his fingers running gently down the side of her neck. "How are you feeling? Is your arm hurting?"

"It hurts but it's not that bad, really. I'll put ice on it after we eat."

"Speaking of which, dinner is ready. Do you want me to bring it in here for you?"

She shook her head as she sat up. "No, I'm coming." She followed him into the living room and sat while he got their plates. They ate in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

When they were finished Booth handed her the prescriptions and said, "Why don't you take this and go rest. I'll bring the ice to you in a few minutes."

Brennan took the medications with some water and then eased back down onto the bed. She thought about that strange story she had read once in high school about the man who slept for a hundred years. Henry Winkler? No, that didn't sound right - that was the actor Booth liked on that old TV show about happy times. She felt like the man from the story, though, and just like him she might sleep for a hundred years if she closed her eyes. At the same time she felt a nervous energy that threatened to keep her awake. All of her questions kept floating back to the surface of her mind the way they had all week. She was still thinking when Booth walked in and sat down beside her.

Booth carefully placed the ice pack against her arm. "How's that?"

She nodded as she answered him. "It's fine. Booth..."

He waited for a moment and when she didn't continue he asked, "What is it?"

"You said we needed to talk and I agree. Can we do that now?"

"Yeah, of course, but if you're tired we can talk tomorrow. I'm not going anywhere."  _That was an understatement_ , he thought wryly. Even if she ordered him to leave, he didn't think he could make himself walk out the door at this point. For better or worse, arguments and all, she held a piece of him he knew he could never get back. It was hers now and he wouldn't change it even if he could.

"I'm tired, but I don't think I can sleep yet. Can you lie down with me?"

He removed his shoes and stretched out beside her. She was on her back and he turned on his side to face her, resting his hand on her stomach. She turned her head to look at him as he began rubbing gentle circles against her skin. It was amazing because as tired as she was, her body still reacted to his touch. Heat flooded her stomach and rippled out and she lifted her hand to cover his. He turned his hand to link his fingers with hers.

Finally she spoke. "How do you know when you love someone?"

Booth felt his heart skip a beat at her direct question. He kept his eyes on hers as he thought about how to answer her. He knew that his answer was important to her and had the power to change everything. "Love is a lot of different feelings. It's being happy with another person, knowing that their happiness has the power to affect your own. It's being able to put that person's needs ahead of your own. It's knowing that if that person weren't in your life it would matter, and feeling like you're a better person for having them in your life. There's the love we feel for our family and friends, romantic love... the intensity of it might be different but it's all love."

"It's been a really long time since I believed in love," she said softly. "When my parents disappeared and Russ left, believing didn't seem worth it anymore. Believing in something so fragile and ephemeral seemed dangerous and illogical, so I stopped believing. I stopped believing for so long that sometimes I wonder if I'm even capable of the same emotions other people are."

"You didn't stop believing. You just hid from it for a little while. You built walls to keep people at a distance, but you're more than capable of loving. I see the love you have for others every day. You may still guard your trust in people, but you love them just the same. Angela, your father, Russ, Parker, even Hodgins - these people all matter to you and you give so much of yourself to them without even realizing it. And they all love you - you shouldn't doubt that either. Your presence in their lives matters and they would feel the loss if you weren't there."

She considered this for a moment. "And romantic love? It's confusing to me because people seem so sure about love and then they change their minds. Angela and Hodgins were going to get married and then one day over lunch it all fell apart. Something that took two years to build was gone in a matter of minutes. I don't understand how it can be true one minute and then not true the next."

"No one knows what goes on between two people in a relationship, but one thing I'm sure of is that it didn't just fall apart in minutes. They both must have had doubts and instead of talking about what they were afraid of, they ignored it and lived in the moment. It's like a house, Bones. If the foundation is strong, it can weather a storm and come out in one piece. But if the construction is shoddy from the beginning, then eventually a storm comes along that knocks everything down. You can choose to rebuild, stronger than before, or you can walk away; for whatever reason they both chose to walk away."

"You've loved women before and then later you decided that you didn't love them." He couldn't read her expression as she said this.

He took a moment to consider his answer and the best way to explain it so she could understand. "The only other woman I can honestly say I've loved is Rebecca, but our relationship was also flawed from the very beginning. I had my own issues I was dealing with at the time and so did she. I asked her to marry me because of Parker but she was right to tell me no. I can see now it never would have worked. I'll always love her because she's the mother of my son and that's a connection that means something to both of us."

"The only other woman?"

Brennan's eyes still held his and the fear and need in them made his heart ache. He tightened his fingers around hers as he said, "You've become one of the most important people in my life. When we met you drove me crazy on so many levels." He laughed as he thought about that first case. "As much as I didn't want you to, you consumed my every waking thought."

"You didn't even like me back then, Booth. If the Cleo Eller case hadn't come up we might never have worked together again."

"The Cleo Eller case was an excuse to get back in the door, Bones. If it hadn't been that case I would have found another way. Then we started working together and while it was a struggle sometimes, I finally began to see the real you. And let me tell you, the real Temperance Brennan is an amazing woman. A woman any man would be lucky to have in his life."

She continued to stare at him as she thought about everything he'd just said. "What you said is true. My relationships with people - Angela, my father, Russ, Hodgins - they do matter to me. My life is better for having them in it and it would feel emptier if they were gone. I feel the same way about Parker too. You've allowed me to have a role in his life, and it means more than I've ever told you because I know what having him in your life means to you. The fact that you trust me with something so important to you tells me that what I have to offer matters. What scares me sometimes is wondering what will happen in the future. I've survived loss but if you left, I'm not sure I could survive it. You've touched every part of my life. If I accept your explanation of love, then I think I would have to logically conclude that I love you."

Her fingers had tightened almost painfully around his, and the feelings that swept through him with her words were overwhelming. He scooted closer to her and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you, Temperance Brennan. I don't think I could stop now even if I wanted to. The truth is I think I've loved you for a long time - years maybe."

"Years?" Brennan said doubtfully. "You were pretty clear after the Epps case that there couldn't be anything personal between us. I might not always understand things, but I understood what you were really saying then."

"You're not the only one who gets scared you know. I felt responsible for what happened to Cam, but it was more than that. I sat next to her bed and I thought about you - how it could have been you instead of her. I was already feeling things for you that confused me. When you and Hodgins were taken by the Gravedigger, I realized then that what I felt for you went beyond what I should be feeling for a friend and partner. Once you were safe I buried it, but it didn't go away. It's been there all this time."

"You said a foundation had to be strong. Is our foundation strong enough to withstand all of our differences?"

"It hasn't failed us yet," Booth answered. "I meant what I said before. As long as we're honest about what we're feeling, good or bad, I can't imagine any problem that I wouldn't move heaven and earth to work through with you. I love you too much to imagine the alternative."

She let go of his hand and slid her arm across his waist as she turned toward him. He pulled her closer, careful of her injured arm, and slid his hand up to cradle her head gently as their lips met. After a few minutes she pulled back and smiled at him. "So does this mean that we can dispense with our self-imposed celibacy?"

"Tonight I think we should just sleep. You're tired and injured and I don't want to risk hurting your arm. But when you're feeling better, I am going to do things to you that make you redefine how one might break the laws of physics," he murmured as he pressed gentle kisses along her jaw line and down her neck.

"That's not possible, but if you want to try to convince me I have no objections," Brennan replied as their lips met again. Maybe it wasn't possible, but the experiment could prove interesting.

* * *

 

Booth stared through the window of the interrogation room as Agent Patterson finished questioning the suspect brought in. Jonathan Ford looked like any average citizen you passed on the street a hundred times a day. What disturbed Booth was his admission that he had been following Brennan for months. He wondered if he was slipping, if his instincts had become dulled by the pattern his days had settled into. He and Brennan certainly had an established routine, one this guy had caught onto all too easily.

Booth turned to Sweets and asked, "So what do you think? I'd love to believe he's the killer but my gut says no."

Sweets shook his head. "He's highly intelligent, but he's far too delusional to have carried out the careful planning these murders would have required. He honestly believed that if he removed you from the equation then he would have a chance with Dr. Brennan. He also has serious impulse control issues. When he saw you together and became aware of your personal relationship with her, he reacted without planning or thinking anything through. He just showed up at the courthouse and starting shooting in front of dozens of deputies and federal officers. If the killer had the same impulse control issues, he would never have been able to hide his crimes for this long."

Booth rolled his shoulders as he tried to release some of his building tension. "Damn it," he muttered.

Sweets glanced over at him. "How are you holding up? I'm actually surprised you allowed Patterson to conduct the interview alone."

"I wanted to get a feel for him first but make no mistake – I intend to have my shot at him," Booth replied grimly.

A few minutes later Patterson joined them in the observation room. "He's definitely been stalking Dr. Brennan and we've got him on the shooting hands down – the gun, witnesses," he said. "But there's no way he's responsible for the murders. He's been hospitalized twice in the last three years for psychotic breaks, and one of those stays coincided with the disappearance of Melissa Scott six months ago." Patterson hesitated for a moment before turning to Booth. "He's asking to speak to you."

Booth smiled grimly. "Oh I'm ready." He followed Patterson into the interrogation room and approached the table like a jungle cat stalking his prey. He pulled a chair back and sat down, his unhurried movements completely at odds with the feral gleam in his eyes. "Mr. Ford," Booth nodded. "Agent Patterson says you asked to speak to me personally."

Jonathan smiled at Booth. "How does it feel to know you're a failure Agent Booth?"

Booth leaned back and offered a smile of his own. "Since you're currently in custody of the FBI, I'd say you have that backwards Mr. Ford."

"Do you know how many times I've been close enough to Temperance to reach out and touch her? I actually have touched her before you know. At one of her book signings our fingers met and I knew then."

"Knew what exactly?"

"I knew I loved her," he said simply. "I've even exchanged greetings with her a few times. She's always courteous to all of her fans, but I could see that the way she responded to me was special. I knew it was only a matter of time before Temperance realized it as well. Of course that bullet was never meant for her but it served one purpose very well. You've failed her now. I would never fail her in that way."

Booth's jaw clenched and a red haze settled over his vision for a moment before he got himself under control. "No you just shot her – hell of a way to say 'I love you.' Maybe Hallmark will buy that but I can assure you in no uncertain terms that  _Dr. Brennan_  isn't interested in you or in anything you have to say."

Jonathan cast a sly glance at Booth. "I won't be in here forever you know."

Booth stood up and walked casually around the edge of the table, his demeanor almost amiable. His next movements were so sudden Patterson never had a chance to react. He grasped the back of Jonathan's collar as his foot swept the chair leg out from under him. Jonathan's head slammed against the table and Booth held him there as he leaned down close to his ear. His voice was calm, almost conversational, as he said, "I'm counting on that actually. One day you'll leave your cozy little hospital room and start living your life again. You'll start thinking about Dr. Brennan and maybe you'll be tempted to make contact, seek her out. But I see you now and you can't hide from me. I will be there watching you."

Jonathan looked like he was resisting the urge to wet himself even as he spat back at Booth, "You don't scare me Agent Booth. You have rules to follow, you can't touch me."

Booth applied just the right amount of pressure to the nerves at the back of Jonathan's neck and he squealed. "I have killed men before for no other reason than that my government wanted them dead to protect the greater good. I hunted them, and then I took them out, and I was a ghost – in and out with no one the wiser. Do you really think I would do less for my partner? So you think about that Mr. Ford. If you ever get close to her again just know that I will be right behind you and you will  _never see it coming_." Booth slammed Jonathan's head down once more to make his point before turning and walking out of the room.

Patterson followed a moment later and Booth turned to him. "I know you're obligated to report what I said in there."

Patterson shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned, all I heard was a friendly conversation with a delusional stalker."

Booth smiled ruefully. "Thanks man." He glanced over at Sweets. "I'm guessing you're going to want me in your office for mandatory therapy again?"

Sweets grinned and headed for the door. "I think you're dealing okay."


	10. Popol Vuh

When Booth walked into Brennan's office later that afternoon holding a takeout bag, she looked up and smiled at him. "I thought you said you might not be by until later."

"It wasn't the guy," he replied simply.

Brennan sighed. "That's unfortunate."

Booth snorted. "You have a gift for understatement, you know that right?" He walked around her desk and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her gently before resting his head on top of hers.

"Are you okay?" Brennan asked quietly.

"Yeah I just need to focus, regain my center of balance." Booth tightened his arms around her for a moment. Just being with her made him feel calmer and helped him keep his personal demons at bay because he knew he didn't have to hide that side of himself from her. Her acceptance of him,  _all of him_ , made him feel whole again.

"You didn't kill him did you?" She pulled back to look at him.

"No but he'll probably have a hell of a headache," Booth said, deciding not to mention the threats. "How's the arm today?" He ran his fingers gently over the injury.

"Sore, but fine considering I was shot," Brennan said just as Hodgins entered her office followed closely by Angela.

"King of the Lab," he announced, holding up a piece of paper. Angela cleared her throat, crossing her arms as she shot him a pointed look. He sighed and amended, "Fine, Joint Rulers of the Lab. You do realize King of the Lab just has a better ring to it?"

Booth raised his eyebrows. "I just spent all morning with the guy who shot Bones here so I'm a little cranky. Are you going to get to the point or do I need to start shooting?"

"We’ve uncovered some very useful information here. The cellulose I found in the soil appeared to be some sort of paper with faded print. I cleaned it very carefully and Angela ran it through the computer to see what she could pull from it and….. bingo, baby!" Hodgins handed it over to Booth, who looked at it carefully.

Booth looked back at Hodgins. "A credit card receipt?"

Hodgins nodded. "It dates back a year and shows a purchase from All Things Medieval. It's an online store that sells replica items from the medieval period, including battle axes. And I'll say it again – King of the Lab!"

Booth was already on the phone. "Patterson, we may have caught a break here. A computer printout detailing purchase of a medieval battle axe was recovered from the soil samples. I need you to run this down for me." He gave him the information from the receipt before hanging up.

Angela spoke next. "Is it just me or does this seem too easy?"

He sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Maybe, but any evidence brings us a step closer to this guy. And stranger things have happened. It's usually the small things that end up bringing these psychos down."

Brennan reached for the takeout bag. "We should probably eat now if we're going to. I have a feeling it's going to be a long afternoon."

"Have you finished examining any of the other sets of remains?" Angela asked.

"I should have tissue markers set for one of the skulls this afternoon so you can work on it," Brennan said as a guard entered her office.

The guard was carrying a large box which he placed carefully on the sofa. "Dr. Brennan, this arrived for you earlier today. It's gone through the screening process, so it's safe for you to open."

Brennan stood up. "I wasn't expecting a package." She looked at the typed label and then at Booth. "There's no return address. Any official artifacts sent to me through the Jeffersonian would usually have a care label attached for proper handling, whether it's a fragile artifact or remains of some kind."

"All right just stand back everyone," Booth ordered. He pulled a small knife from his pocket and carefully slit the tape at the top of the box. He opened the flaps carefully before looking at Brennan. "I don't see anything dangerous but you should probably use gloves to pull it out."

"What is it?" she asked as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Hell if I know; some kind of vase?" Booth stood aside to allow Brennan access to the box as Hodgins and Angela looked on curiously. She reached in and carefully removed a bubble wrapped vase. She removed the wrapping, revealing an urn standing four feet tall and approximately two feet in diameter. The sides were etched with various symbols and pictures.

"That's got to be the ugliest vase I've ever seen," Booth commented.

Brennan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's not a vase. It's a K'iche burial urn. It's a replica though and not original so it's not particularly valuable."

"What exactly is a quiche burial urn?" Booth asked. "It looks kind of Native American."

" _K'iche_ , Booth, not  _quiche_. It's an urn that the K'iche Maya of highland Guatemala used to bury their dead."

Booth felt his pulse speed up. "Guatemala?"

Angela suddenly spoke up. "Is that a necklace hanging from it?" She reached down and carefully lifted it from the neck of the urn. She held it up for a closer look. "It looks like two pendants fused together – one a fish with the head of a man and the other is some sort of serpent."

"It's the body of a dolphin," Brennan replied.

"How do you know that? Is it some sort of Mayan cultural thing?" Angela asked.

Brennan shook her head as a chill swept through her. "I know because that's the dolphin pendant the killer took from me in the basement.”

* * *

 

Sweets arrived at the Jeffersonian to find Booth, Cam, Brennan, Hodgins and Angela all gathered in Brennan's office. Although Booth had not been specific when he asked Sweets to come, he could tell from the tense mood in the room that something new was going on.

"You sounded very serious on the phone," Sweets said to Booth. "What’s going on?”

"The killer is sending Bones little gifts through the mail," Booth replied tersely. He gestured toward the urn and then passed Sweets a small plastic evidence bag containing the necklace.

Sweets looked at the bizarre pendant for a moment before glancing at Brennan. "I'm assuming this is some sort of message. Does this mean anything to you?"

"The pendant was mine – or at least part of it," Brennan said. "Obviously he's altered it."

Sweets raised his eyebrows. "This is the dolphin pendant the killer took from you in the basement?" When Brennan nodded, Sweets stood up to get a closer look at the urn. "This is a burial urn right? I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's rooted in Guatemalan history or culture."

"Specifically Mayan," Brennan acknowledged. "This is a K'iche Mayan burial urn."

Sweets walked around the urn as he examined it. Finally he said, "If I remember correctly you wrote several graduate level papers on Mayan culture and history in that region. Is this something you were working on when you took that trip with Dr. Stires as a grad student?"

"Yes. While that particular trip had another purpose, I spent some time talking to the local people in order to gather more data for my own research."

"You think Bones may have discussed this with the killer at some point during that trip?" Booth asked.

"That would make the most sense. Clearly he's developed his own interest in the myths, but his interest stemmed from hers. Tell me about the urn first." Sweets looked back at Brennan.

"It's a replica of the burial urns used by the K'iche Maya of highland Guatemala. The figures on the urns usually represent characters from the Popol Vuh, a 16th century epic describing the origin of the world and deeds of the Hero Twins. The twins are represented here." She gestured towards two figures on the urn. "I believe this particular urn represents their defeat of the Lords of Death. In defeating death they created a path of resurrection for humanity before ascending to the heavens as constellations. The myth parallels the Jesus myth in many ways."

"Let's just leave Jesus out of this little tale please," Booth interjected.

Brennan rolled her eyes as she continued. "There are translations of the Popol Vuh that exist today; still we can only guess at the meanings of all the figures on these urns. The most commonly accepted explanation for the continued use of the Hero Twins is that their images on the urns served to ensure the resurrection of the deceased occupant’s soul."

"You said this epic also details their creation myths," Sweets prompted.

Brennan nodded. "In their version animals were created first followed by humans. The first humans were formed of earth and mud but they soaked up water and dissolved. The second humans were formed from wood but did not have souls or minds. They angered the gods and were subsequently destroyed. Animals then gathered white and yellow corn and man was formed a third time. The original animals were then turned to stone and man was dominant."

Sweets examined the pendant. "So the killer decapitated your dolphin, replaced the head with that of a human, and then fused the pendant to a second pendant. What is this other figure?"

"I believe it's meant to represent Gucumatz, the feathered serpent lord. After the K'iche people traveled into the mountains, he’s credited for raising them to dominance and power."

"I'm assuming decapitation has some significance. Did decapitation or sacrifice feature into their rituals in any way?"

"Decapitation and sacrifice were common themes in their harvesting. It goes back to another myth, the one of Hun Hunahpu. He was summoned to the Underworld for angering the lords there and subsequently killed. His head was then placed in a calabash tree."

"This is becoming more horrifying by the minute," Angela commented, looking a little queasy. Hodgins reached out and grasped her hand, squeezing it. She shot him a grateful look as Brennan continued the macabre tale.

"According to the myth, the skull of Hun Hunahpu impregnated Xquic, a daughter of one of the lords of the underworld, by spitting in her hand. She later gave birth to the Hero Twins."

Cam shook her head. "I'm going to have to agree with Angela in that this is pretty disturbing. I'm going to go talk to the security department again, make sure all our bases are covered here." She walked out and a tense silence followed.

Booth spoke first. "I know that you'll need some time to work this into the profile but what can you tell me as an initial observation?"

Sweets looked at Booth. "Off the top of my head? This dude is totally crazy. Highly organized, but loopier than the Fruit Loops I had for breakfast this morning."

"Okay, how about something a little more useful? I can get Fruit Loops from Parker," Booth began to pace, looking as if he were resisting the urge to kick the burial urn as he passed it.

"The most important thing here is the pendant. Obviously the act of decapitating the dolphin and replacing it with a human head mirrors the creation myth in that man rose above the animals, as well as the myth of Hun Hunahpu. We can assume the dolphin is meant to represent Dr. Brennan while the head represents the killer. He is telling her that he's surpassed her; he is now the dominant figure in this game. By fusing it to the figure of the serpent lord, he has cemented his power. He believes he has all the power and she has become his pawn. He has made himself master over death just as the Hero Twins did."

"I am the best in my field and if your profile is correct then this killer didn't even complete his doctorate. In what way has he surpassed me?" Brennan looked offended by the very idea.

"You heard the part where I said he was crazy, right? I didn't say he was correct, I'm just telling you what I think his gifts mean. He's taunting you Dr. Brennan."

"Is this also meant to be a threat?" Angela asked. "The decapitated dolphin, the burial urn – it all seems very threatening."

"This is most assuredly a threat," Sweets agreed. "He's obsessed with Dr. Brennan and her work, but that won't stop him from killing her if he gets the opportunity."

Brennan stood up abruptly. "This is ridiculous, Booth. I know you believe in all of this psychological mumpy jumbo, but Sweets cannot predict the future." She walked out of her office angrily.

Booth watched her ascend the steps to the forensic platform before turning to Sweets. "Bones may not want to see it but I agree that this is a threat. How much time do you think we have?"

"He's clearly ramping up his end game here. Whatever he's planning, I think it will happen soon. I'm going to do some reading on these Mayan myths. I can probably get you an updated profile by tomorrow."

"Thanks. One of the other professors from that trip is flying into Dulles today for a guest lecture event and I have an appointment to speak with him tomorrow morning at his hotel. I'll ask him if he was aware of any other students showing particular interest in the Mayan myths Brennan mentioned."

Booth left Brennan's office and walked to the platform where Brennan was working with the interns. He swiped his card and bounded up the steps. "Hey Bones, you really need to eat you know."

"I'll eat as soon as I finish these tissue markers for Angela," she said without looking up.

"Dr. Walters is arriving today for a lecture at Stires' university. He's agreed to meet with me in the morning at his hotel." When Brennan didn't respond Booth asked her, "Do you want to go with me when I talk to him?"

"Fine," she replied shortly, again without looking up.

Booth looked around at the interns, who were all studiously avoiding making eye contact with him. Even Brennan's little defender looked away, though he appeared a little triumphant at Brennan's abrupt shift in attitude. He suppressed his irritation and said firmly, "I need to talk to you."

"We are talking," Brennan said. She held the skull up and turned it slightly, examining the line of the cheekbone.

"In your office. Privately."

She pursed her lips as she set the skull back on the table and stripped off her gloves. She turned to Daisy and said, "Ms. Wick please take this to Angela and let her know she can start the facial reconstruction."

Daisy picked up the skull in her usual eager manner. "Yes Dr. Brennan."

Brennan followed Booth into her office and waited as he closed her door. "What is so important that it can't wait?"

"What Sweets said upset you." It was a statement, not a question, and Booth waited to see if Brennan would open up to him or continue to push him away.

"I'm not upset."

Booth said nothing, just leaned back against her desk and crossed his arms. The silence continued for another minute before Brennan muttered, "Fine - maybe I'm a little upset. I can't let the vagaries of psychology dictate my schedule or how I live my life, Booth. I understand that you asked Sweets to create a profile, and I agree that his insights have been quite valuable in the past, but I'm not sure I can agree that the killer is now specifically targeting me just because he sent me items representing Mayan myths. It's a leap requiring me to jump from point F directly to point Y with no valid proof to help me reach the Y conclusion. I'm a scientist; I don't leap." She crossed her own arms as she said this.

Booth sighed and stepped forward, pulling her into his arms and hugging her. "You don't make leaps and I know that you need proof, but can you at least admit that you're scared and that makes you angry? And before you ask me how I know that, let me point out that I know  _you_. A part of you is afraid that Sweets' psychology is on target and that's scary because it's unpredictable and there's no way for you to approach it scientifically."

Brennan rested her head against his shoulder. "I just have to concentrate on the science, Booth. I can't start getting distracted by things I can't approach logically. I have my job and you have yours."

Booth pulled back and kissed her gently. Brennan responded eagerly and gentle quickly turned passionate. Booth pulled her closer, one hand squeezing her hip as the other lightly traced her spine. She shivered and tightened her arms around his neck. After several minutes they broke apart, both breathing heavily as they attempted to get their desire under control.

Booth bent his head to kiss the side of her neck gently as he murmured, "How's your arm feeling? Better?"

Brennan leaned up to press her lips close to his ear. "If you're asking me if I'm ready to begin our experiments then the answer is yes." She grazed his ear lightly with her teeth before stepping back with a grin and turning to leave. "You can pick me up after six," she called over her shoulder.

Booth straightened his tie; it was going to be one hell of a long afternoon.

* * *

 

Booth's phone rang as he was walking back into the Jeffersonian that evening. "Booth," he answered.

"It's Patterson. We tracked down the receipt but it seems to be another dead end. Owner of the card is an elderly man who had no idea his card had been used to make any online purchases. He doesn't own a computer and the charge was reported as fraudulent since the delivery was made to a house down the street."

"Let me guess – the house was empty and listed for sale?" Booth shoved a hand through his hair, frustrated. "That makes three items from the basement that we've tracked down, only to find they were charged to elderly people who reported fraud activity and the packages were delivered to empty houses in the same neighborhood."

"You're thinking identity theft?" Patterson questioned.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. He wouldn't want these weapons and tools linked to any identity he's actively using, so he uses random stolen card numbers instead. Since he never uses them more than once, there's not much to investigate. I’m betting it gets dropped for bigger cases." Booth paused outside the entrance to the Medico Legal Lab. "Get with Barnes in white collar crimes, see if they have any files matching this MO. And keep digging into Daniel Swinton's past. I want anything you can give me on him - pictures, grade school papers, anything. I also want agents tracking down anyone who knew him when he was a student at Northwestern. My gut tells me he's our guy, but he could be anyone and anywhere at this point."

Booth ended the call and tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling that seemed to stay with him constantly. They had hit nothing but dead ends ever since the case started. They had a suspect who had disappeared off the map coupled with evidence that led nowhere, and he was ready to snap at every agent who crossed his path at the Bureau. He sighed and shoved his phone in his pocket as he pulled open the door just in time for a small figure to barrel into him.

"Whoa!" Booth put his hands out to steady a red-faced girl who had tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched a cell phone to her ear. "Uh, are you okay?"

The girl wiped her arm across her eyes. "Am I okay? I'm probably going to end up working back on my parents' farm by the end of the semester!" She sniffed as she stepped around him, continuing her phone conversation. "That woman is a monster; clearly she needs to get laid but who the hell would put up with her?"

And clearly he wasn't the only one ready to snap. Bracing himself, he walked into the lab and looked over at the platform. The interns were all busy but he saw no sign of Brennan. When he reached her office, the door was closed. He peered through the window and saw a younger man seated in front of her, an uneasy expression on his face as Brennan flipped through several pages of paper, marking with a pen as she went.

"Booth, thank God!" Booth turned to see Angela hurrying toward him. "If you could get Brennan out of here for the rest of the evening we would all be  _very_  appreciative."

Booth nodded to Brennan's office. "What's going on? I was nearly run down by a sobbing coed who's probably heading to the nearest black magic shop to buy Dr. Brennan voodoo dolls, and this guy in there with her now doesn't seem too happy either. New interns?"

"Not interns, but they are grad students," Angela clarified. "Since she's been so busy here, she hasn't been keeping her normal office hours at the university. Her students are coming here to pick up their papers. To say she’s been less than tactful is an understatement. She's also been pretty harsh with the interns; they're all pretty jumpy this afternoon and that girl Hannah has already cried once."

Booth's felt irritation surge through him. "So she has students just waltzing in and out of here today?"

"No need to worry about the students," Hodgins advised as he strolled over to stand beside Angela. "Security is doing everything short of strip searching us as we enter, and we've been warned it may come to that before this is over."

"I'm sure you'd love that," Angela said pointedly. "I've seen those flirty glances between you and Belinda in the security office."

"Hey, is it my fault if she can't resist a man with three doctorates and keys to all the storage rooms? You deserve some credit too Ange because I think she might have seen one of our Egyptian romps." He wiggled his eyebrows at her as the door to Brennan's office suddenly opened. A young man, mid to late twenties, stumbled out quickly as he stuffed his papers back in his bag. He glanced up at Booth but his gaze slid quickly away.

"Excuse me," he mumbled and Booth stepped aside to allow him to pass.

Angela shook her head. "I should have facial reconstruction for you in the morning. Seriously, get her out of here."

Booth took a deep breath and entered Brennan's office, closing the door behind him. "Bones, you ready to go?"

"Since I'm surrounded by incompetent people, I should probably remain here and continue working," she said shortly.

He leaned against the edge of her desk and watched as she continued to make some notes on a page in a folder. She set her pen down and handed the folder to him. "I believe this is the most recent victim following the girl who went missing a year ago. I estimate age to be early twenties and Hodgins put time of death at roughly two years ago. Cause of death is likely blunt force trauma to the skull, but she was tortured first. I found evidence of shallow stab marks to the ribs and evidence of drilling at the knees." Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke and she cleared her throat.

"Drilling at the knees? Why would the killer do something like that?" Booth felt his stomach lurch as he thought of the pain and fear the girl must have suffered before her death.

"Based on the patella scarring, I believe the killer may have caused the injuries in order to determine at what point she was unable to walk."

Booth wiped a hand down his face. "Anything to help with ID?"

"Her teeth show evidence of braces removed in the months prior to her death, and bone remodeling on her right clavicle is indicative of a seatbelt injury most likely sustained in a car accident during her teenage years." Brennan stood up and began to put on her lab coat. "Angela will have facial reconstruction in the morning to help narrow it down further."

"Whoa – where do you think you're going?" Booth asked as he placed a hand on her arm.

"I still have remains to examine," Brennan replied as she attempted to step around him.

He shook his head as he turned her gently and pulled her lab coat back off. "Not tonight, Bones. I think you've had enough for today." When he saw she was about to argue he added, "Look, you've already made two people cry today and according to Angela, the rest of the interns are so jumpy now that they're likely to get more done if you leave. We'll go home and have dinner and act like a normal couple for one evening. Just for tonight, let's pretend we don't have a psychotic serial killer stalking you, if not for your peace of mind then for mine? Please?" Booth smiled at her, sensing that she was weakening.

Finally she rolled her eyes. "Fine, we'll go home. But don't think you're going to win every argument by using your charm smile on me."

"Got it – no more charm smiles." He pushed her hair back and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you, Bones."

She felt warmth spreading through her, replacing the cold she had felt all afternoon as she examined the remains of the young women whose lives had taken such a tragic turn. Somehow he always knew what to do, and what to say, to make it all seem just a little less horrible. She picked up her purse and allowed him to usher her out of the lab.


End file.
